The Duplicate
by elmopll
Summary: Alison DiLaurentis's nearly identical twin is in town. And she wants answers. But what questions is she going to raise? And how come she has Spencer's hair and eyes? R&R and you get a cookie ;
1. Pillow Fights and Breakdowns

"Pass the Skittles."

"No."

"Pass the Skittles, Emily, please."

"No."

"I said the magic word!"

"It isn't _my _magic word."

"What _is _your magic word? Strap-on?"

I turned and gaped at my best friend, Spencer Hastings, blobbed out on the sofa, clutching a bowl of popcorn to her chest. At my face, she burst into laughter, rocking her head back. "I KNEW IT WAS! Can I have some Skittles now?"

"You are mean. For your information, the magic word was apple pie."

"Apple pie, abracadabra, there appears to be no Skittles here and Emily is proving herself a hopeless magician."

I scowled, slowly moving my hand towards the brightly coloured packet. She intently watched it glide slowly across the wooden table. "Faster. Faaaster. I need the rainbow goodness." She moaned.

Quickly, my hand flashed out, grabbing a pillow which had fallen onto the floor, and smacked Spencer across the face with it. She screamed with surprise, retaliating by flicking her foot out and catching me neatly in the ribs. I sucked my breath in with surprise, pulling the pillow back and whacking her several times until we rolled off the couch and ended up in a giggling heap on the floor, popcorn and feathers dusting the floor.

As we laughed hysterically, not even bothering to watch the movie which played on the Hastings' 42 inch grand TV in all its glory, I suddenly heard a thump on the door and abruptly sat up. "Spencer, someone's outside."

She sat up too, brushing popcorn out of her hair, popping some into her mouth. "Eh. Probably the pizza guy. I'll go get it."

I narrowed my eyes. "Nuh-uh. I am coming too. If I left you with pizza alone I can hardly imagine the consequences."

She pouted. "I am not _that _bad when it comes to pizza, Em."

"A vaccum cleaner would be an accurate description. Or, one of those waste disposal units. Makes me wonder how the hell you stay that skinny." I taunted, poking her bony little ribs.

She poked her tongue out at me, and sauntered downstairs, dressed in long pyjama pants and a oversized T-shirt which spelt "Talk Nerdy To Me" in glossy pink letters. As I followed her, the knocking intensified. "Pizza guy is desperate." I noted, walking into the Hastings' huge, open hallway, glancing at all the modern, expensive furniture which lined the room. Spencer's familys may be success nuts, but they sure knew how to decorate a place. I admired a tarnished blue-green sculpture of a female figure holding a lamp as Spencer swung the door open.

From the minute I heard her gasp, I knew it must be hella good pizza or a hella good-looking delivery guy. I screwed up my nose, delicately touching the sculpture with my finger. I'd gone off hot pizza guys a long time ago, when I'd finally realized I was gay. Spencer, however, was as straight as a ruler. And very easily susceptible to handsome examples of the male species, I chuckled to myself.

Suddenly Spencer choked. "A-Ali?"

My head shot straight up, and I whipped around, striding towards the door quickly. _Ali? What? _Just at the mention of her name my heart ached a little bit. I pushed past Spencer, to glare towards the figure standing outside, and then suddenly stopped in my tracks.

_Oh my god._ It so was Ali. Her bright blue eyes flicked to my face abruptly, and my heart just about melted down into my stomach. I gasped for breath- it was like being punched. Several times. Straight into my chest. Everything about her- her tiny dimples, her delicately manicured eyebrows, and tousled hair- was exactly the same.

Wait. Her _hair_. It took my brain several minutes to work out her hair was a completely different shade. When it was glossy blonde, now it was brown with slightly gold highlights... and plastered to her face, dampened by rain. Yet somehow it made her look even more beautiful to me. I stared at her, wishing so much to reach out and touch her, some kind of acknowledgement she was real, this wasn't some freaky dream...

She opened her mouth and spoke. "By "Ali" do you mean Alison DiLaurentis? Isn't she dead?"

I gasped as soon as she spoke. Her accent and voice had changed- it sounded almost kind of British now, with a definite higher octave. She frowned at me, looking over at Spencer who had pretty much the same expression on her face- absolute shock. "You all right? Both of you? I would make a extremely sick-minded comment right now, but I don't know you, so I'll shut up. Instead you both look like you need CPR. But I will not give it to you under any circumstances."

_Definitely British_, I thought, my befuddled brain slowly reaching conclusions. I looked at her a little more critically, feeling memories wash through me in vivid colour, memories I'd locked away long ago. She was definitely shorter than I remembered, only coming up to my nose. And, as she reached out a hand to push her hair back off her face, I noticed her nails were bitten down to the nub. _God, Ali would never bite her nails. Where have you been, Ali? What's happened to you?_

It hurt even to look at her, and I was dying to pull her inside- just to touch her would be enough- when Spencer jumped in. "You're... not Ali?"

She gave Spencer a _duh _look. "Congratulations for figuring that out. Apparently we bear a stunning resemblance, and that's probably because we have the same mum. What I need to know is, are you Spencer Hastings?"

"Wait, wait wait, hold up." I quickly said, holding my hands out, before the confused murkiness of my brain swept over me in a wave of disappointment. "You're Ali's... sister?"

She nodded slowly and sarcastically. "Grrreeeat job. I can see you in the near future winning a Nobel Prize for that no-shit-sherlock attitude. Yes, I am Alison DiLaurentis' sister. Half-sister actually. Now one of you must be Spencer Hastings. Which one? Eeenie... Meanie... Minie..."

Spencer cut her off. "That's me. Why are you here? Who are you? How'd you get here, I mean, oh my god, how'd you know Ali, and how'd you know me, and-"

"Hold up dude. One minute you're going Planet Zog on me and now you got a motormouth. Questions, questions oh so many. I will answer them if you let me come inside. In case you haven't noticed, it's raining. Outside. I am wet. And cold. And hungy considering I haven't eaten anything for the last five hours. Apart from crappy plane food. And I don't think that can be classified as edible. In the food pyramid it's somewhere below polystyrene trays."

I blinked. This girl definitely had sass and sarcasm, plus an odd kind of humour. And she was completely gorgeous. Just like Ali. I bit my lip, staring at her hopelessly. She looked up at me, raising her eyebrow. "Hey, big eyes, I know I'm gorgeous and all, but you can quit gawking at me now. Seriously."

_Big eyes? _This girl was nothing like Ali, personality wise. Yet looking at her made my tummy do flip-flops, and my heart speed up. I coughed, wrenching my eyes away, and stepped to the side so she could walk in. She yanked her shoes off, and walked into Spencer's hall, immediately plopping down on her couch. It was only now I started noticing what she was wearing- tight black jeans, with a red tank top and a faded looking denim jacket over the top. _It suits her completely_.

She looked up at Spencer and me still standing in the doorway, looking incredulous and frowned. "I must really look like her. I suppose that's it, hm? I remind you of her. Remind you of a dead girl. Well, that's dead cheerful. Ha. Made a pun."

"Yeah. Yeah, you look a heck of a lot like her. Bringing back some memories." Spencer affirmed, in a shaky, quiet voice. My eyes flicked to her, and she stared at her feet, completely pale. _This is freaking both her, and me out, _I realized.

The girl nodded. "I have seen some photos of her. Quite a resemblance. Funny I didn't turn out like you, Spencer. Guess I've got your kind of hair." She said in a thoughtful way, playing with a strand of said hair.

We both stared at her. Yet again. _Weird thing to say._ "What do you mean, "funny I didn't turn out like you, Spencer"?" I asked, my eyes narrowing.

The girl sighed. "Well I think it's a bit of a shame really. Instead of nice high cheekbones like hers I get chubby little cheeks. Anyways, please sit, you two. There's a lot of explaining to do."

Neither I nor Spence made a move. She rolled her eyes, exasperated. "I don't bite. My exes can tell you."

Gingerely, we walked towards her, letting ourselves sink into the Hastings' luxury cream-coloured sphere chairs. I still couldn't take my eyes off her. She sat with her legs crossed, elbow on her knee and her chin resting on her hand. "Kay. So, you-" she gestured at Spencer "-are obviously Spencer Hastings of the family of Hastings. Whereas you-" she waved her hand at me- "are probably Emily Fields. I've seen you in news reports."

I nodded. "That's me. And who are you?"

Spencer rolled her eyes at my question, obviously desperate to get to the main details. I couldn't help but smile a little. Spencer always needed to know the facts first before listening to anyone. It was part of who she was. Her smarts, common sense and wit outplayed everything else. She'd only trust someone if they'd never lied to her. I can remember one time in kindergarten, when Spence actually got into an argument with another kid about exactly _why _Spot the Dog was friends with so many exotic creatures. When the kid refused to listen to her immediate logic about how Spot obviously lived near the Congo, since he was good buddies with a hippo, monkey and crocodile, Spence promptly picked up a toy brick and used it to bash the other kid over the head until he admitted it. I found myself wondering whether the kid ever suffered brain damage as a result of this vicious attack. After all, the kid did turn out to be No. 1 Jerk, Noel Kahn. Maybe the bashing over-compressed his jerk gland. I don't know. I'm not a doctor.

The girl cleared her throat. "My name's Tanya Kendall. Alright, um, I'm Ali's half-sister. And we have different last names because my mother... her mother too... gave me up for adoption when I was only about two months old. She couldn't bear to abort me apparently. A British couple who couldn't have kids adopted me, which is why I have this accent. I'm here because the agency gave me this address. They said my actual dad lived here. Not my foster."

Spence suddenly went more pale then ever. "S-sorry?"

Tanya suddenly leaned towards her, looking concerned and worried. _Huh. An expression rarely seen on Ali's face. _"Listen, Spencer, what I'm about to say is going to come as a real shock. Just brace yourself, okay?"

Spence gulped, gripping the cushions on the sofa hard. Tanya nodded. "I... I don't know how to say this without hurting you in any way. And I know this is going to be really hard for you. But... I'm your half-sister. As well as Ali's."

She eyeballed Tanya, a stony cold look in her hazel eyes. "What are you saying?"

Tanya took a deep breath, looking really worried. "I'm saying your dad cheated on your mum. With Alison's mum."

Spence exploded out of the seat. "WHAT?" She screamed, suddenly losing her composure.

"Whoa, whoa, back up, calm down, chill, sit down, c'mon, just sit, please, chill until I'm done telling you, c'mon!" Tanya jumped up, me following, despite my mind reeling. _Ali's mum... and... Spencer's dad?_

Spencer stared at her, grabbing my arms as I tried to pull her back down into the couch. "What are you saying?" She gasped. "Oh my god, no, my dad, he loves my mum so much, he would never-"

Tanya bit her lip deeply. "I don't think your mum knows. But yes. We have the same dad. I'm fourteen, so it was two years after you were born. He got Alison's mum pregnant. I'm the result."

In the eerie, weird silence which followed, Spencer simply bent her head, leaving all her perfect composure, her controlled emotions, her calm persona behind. She raised her hands to her face and began to loudly, hysterically, uncontrollably, sob.

**Hey guys! Bit unusual of Spencer to cry so quick isn't it? Makes you wonder... what does she know about Tanya? *dramatic music***

**Please review, this is my first ever Pretty Little Liars story- and no I haven't read the books, so any similarities are purely coincidental :P **

**Five reviews and you get the next chapter which I have already written... filled with even more drama! Yay! **

**Elmo xx**


	2. Yelling at Mommy Don't Change Much

**Chapter Two**

Tanya POV

I stared at the girl named Spencer, feeling awful inside. I knew I'd have to do this some day, sooner or later. And I suppose it was lucky it was Spencer I broke the news to, not her mum or anything. That wouldn't have ended well. Yet, as Spencer hopelessly cried, I couldn't help but feel like a terrible person, a deep sinking feeling in my gut.

Her friend Emily put her arms around her, holding her close, murmuring stuff into her ear, and I just sat and watched uncomfortably. It was awkward- sure. I mean, the half-sister who I've only just met is having a breakdown in front of me . _Whaddaya do? _No teen adoption advice blog ever covers that.

"Where's your proof?"

"Sorry?"

Emily gazed at me with deep, somewhat hostile eyes, still holding Spencer to her. "This could be some kind of sick prank for all we know. I need to see proof before we believe you. Right, Spence?"

In response Spencer shook her head, choking out something. Emily leaned in closer. "Repeat that?"

"Adoption-certifi-cate."

In response I swung my expensive leather Asheldon Jack Wills bag off my shoulder, pulling out a hefty file full of dozens of sheets I'd taken off the adoption agency. "There. That's every little bit of proof I've got."

Emily flicked open the folder, with my adoption certificate in all its splendour right at the front of the page. I knew what she was reading. I'd stared at the certificate a thousand times, memorizing every little detail off by heart.

**Great Britain Pre-Adoptive Birth Certificate **

**Part A**

**Post Adoptive (Current) Surname**

DiLaurentis

**Post Adoptive (Current) First Names**

Tanya

**Place of Birth (Town/City and State)**

Blackville, Barnwell County, South Carolina

**Date of Birth **

6/09/1996

**Post Adoptive Parents Details**

**Mother's Full Name**

Jessica Abigail DiLaurentis

**Father's Full Name**

Peter John Andrew Hastings

**Pre Adoptive Parents Details**

**Mother's Full Name**

Tessa Jane Walterson

**Father's Full Name**

David Finlay Ross Kendall

Emily passed the first sheet to Spencer worldlessly, who took it, wiping her red-rimmed eyes with one hand yet scanning the sheet at the same time. "This still could be a fake." She said in a thick voice full of emotion.

I noticed it was tinged with hope, like she wished I was joking. It really hurt to see someone I barely knew, yet I so wanted to know, in so much pain. I shook my head. "It's been authorized by Crown. Here." I said, passing another sheet with a fat red inky stamp on it- REQUEST APPROVED.

It had the official glossy seal on it and all. She stared at the paper for a long time, then looked up at me, pink lines of bloodshot staining the intensity of her gaze. "I have lots of questions, but first, I... I need to talk to my mother. I will be back."

And like nothing had happened, she stood up gracefully, flipping a glossy phone out of her pocket and immediately tapping a number into it. She strolled over into another room, barely even sniffing. I was amazed. _She strikes me as the kind of person who always holds control_.

Emily cleared her throat, and I turned to her. She stared at me, like she was taking in every detail of my face. I stiffened- alarmed- and then I remembered that I reminded her of the dead girl. Interesting, being told your features are similar to a corpse. Really brightens your day. Instead of covering my face, I let her stare at me. Her eyes glistened slightly, as if all the emotion behind them was threatening to pour through.

"Ali. Please tell me it's you." She whimpered slightly.

_Oh god, if ruining one person's life wasn't enough, here comes another to freak out just with my face. Ain't that satisfying! _

"No. I'm not Ali. I'm... sorry?" I hazarded, rubbing the back of my neck uncomfortably. "I'm her sister. You can see my certificates all you want."

She kept staring at me. "Pip. Charles Dickens. In the library. You remember."

I realized she was scanning my eyes for any flicker of emotion, but because I had absolutely no idea about whatever she was talking about, they stayed neutral.

Emily bit her lip and finally looked away. "I suppose you better get out of here. Spencer's not gonna be quite alright tonight. She'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Alright, I understand." I said, picking up my file and stuffing it back into my bag. "I'll come around tomorrow."

"Can I- can I give you a lift anywhere?" She stuttered, looking at her hands.

"Nope. I'm staying pretty close round here. I don't suppose you know a guy called Jason DiLaurentis?"

Emily froze, and I resisted the temptation to roll my eyes. _How many times have I freaked this girl out in the past fifteen minutes? Five or six? That enough?_

"I do know him. And you're right, it's a short walk from here. I'll stay with Spencer, make sure she's okay."

I sighed, remembering the many times I'd imagined this situation. I'd open the door where a beautiful woman would welcome me in with open arms, and a proud father would smile at me with a twinkle in his eye. And there'd be brothers and sisters, little ones crawling on the floor, begging me to play with them, tugging on my dress. And older ones, hugging me, teaching me how to play sport, sticking up for me whenever I got harassed. Perfect, perfect, perfect.

Of course, that dream ended once I realized I was a bastard. Born "out of wedlock" as they so charmingly called it at the adoption agency. My parents weren't married. And even worse, as I finally tracked down the original woman who signed off my adoption- they were cheating. Both of them. And because of my biological mother's abhorrence to abortion, I was kicked off to an orphanage soon as I was born. Straight out of the womb, into a cot and wheeled off to the unknown.

So then I changed my dream. As soon as I researched the names, I found the Hastings family. Proud, high-achieving, succesful, seemingly perfect Hastings. I can't count the number of times I gazed at Peter Hastings' picture, at his photo for his attorney website. The slight wrinkles round his eyes, the receding hairline, yet the power behind his gaze. The gaze of a picture perfect husband and father.

And then I found a photo with Spencer and Melissa in it. Two gorgeous girls, grinning for all they're worth next to their confident father. Spencer clutches a field hockey stick triumphantly. The caption says she'd just won her inter-state championship. Her face is flushed, a grin lighting up her face. Melissa has her arm on her father's shoulder, twisting her head onto one side, looking like a model with beautifully touselled hair, posing for the camera. I stared at all of them, wondering what it'd be like to wreck all of their lives with my news. To transform them from the picture perfect family to the opposite. Cheating, ruined, messed-up, untrusting individuals.

I met Emily's eye as I opened the door. "Emily?"

"Yeah?"

"Please tell Spencer... I'll try to be a good sister to her. If she'll let me."

Emily's eyebrows furrowed and I shrugged. "I want to get to know her. She seems nice."

"You've just witnessed her bawling and storming out of the room. Don't base your impressions off that."

I chuckled softly and Emily's face flushed. It was almost like she was embarassed to humour me, after what I'd said. "Well, see you." I murmured.

"See you."

The door closed behind me, and I stepped out into the bitter cold, staring up at an empty sky. _That didn't go as expected. _

**Spencer POV**

I dialled Mom's number, cursing at myself for losing it in front of Tanya. The girl hardly knew me and she already thought I was an emotional wreck.

The point was, I had lost it completely and I couldn't undo that. And I'd broken down, because as soon as she said it, I knew it was true. As soon as she opened her little perfect mouth, I knew. She looked too much like Ali. And a little bit like me. Exactly same colour hair, my height. And when she leaned forward, I recognized the gaze glowing through her eyes. Full of intent, intelligent, focus. It was the same gaze I saw in the mirror everyday. The same gaze I'd inherited from my very own father.

_And he had, hadn't he? I'd caught him once. He and Ali's mom, canoodling in the Ali's house kitchen. I'd been in Ali's room, chatting mindlessly. At that exact point I think we were talking about Bratz, to be honest. We were only seven or so. And we weren't tight, either. I was only there cause Daddy claimed I needed to make more friends in my class. Not my fault I liked watching the History Channel more than playing with Barbie. And when I did, Barbie was always a lawyer or an attorney. Just like happy, succesful Daddy. _

_I'd needed the toilet, so excused myself, and was just stumbling down the bathroom stairs when I heard smoky, deep, flirtatious giggles coming from the kitchen. My little brain couldn't possibly percept what I was going to see. I wandered towards the kitchen, pausing at the white-washed door frame. Music played softly, as Daddy and Ali's Mommy danced around the kitchen, murmuring things to each other and giggling away. _

"_Daddy, what are you doing?" I yelled, hands flying to my face, no idea what was going on._

_They stopped dancing. Ali's feet began padding down the hall. Daddy dived for the music whereas Ali's mommy faced me, red-faced. "Nothing, honey." She blustered. "Would you like some cookies?"_

_I screwed up my face. "Daddy, why were you dancing with Ali's mommy?"_

_He pressed pause on the music player, and turned to me with such a stern look, I practically shrunk back. "Nothing, Spencer. It's an adult thing. You'll understand when you're older."_

_As Ali reached the kitchen, her face popped round the door. "Spencer? I heard you shout. What's wrong?"_

_Daddy gave me such a fierce look it was all I could do not to flinch. I didn't want to disappoint Daddy. "Nothing, Ali, your mommy has cookies." _

"_Yay!" Ali cheered, skipping round to her mommy, smiling big with her round little cheeks. "Mommy, can Spencer and I eat them and watch The Little Mermaid?"_

_This sounded like a good idea to me, and as Ali's mommy agreed and ushered me out of the kitchen with cookies in tow, I completely forgot all about the little incident I'd just seen._

Until now.

Mom picked up on the fourth ring. "Spencer? What's wrong?"

"Mom. Mom, oh my god." I choked, swallowing down the tears building up in my throat yet _again_. "Do you... know of a, a Tanya DiLaurentis?"

There was a silence on the other end. "Oh Lord." Mom said quietly. From the distance of her voice, she was definitely in the car. "Has she arrived at the house?"

"So you do know her! Mom, she's saying that-"

"I know what she's saying, Spencer, and I know who she is. I will discuss it when I get home."

I practically yelped down the phone. "No, Mom, no! You can't brush this aside. Dad, CHEATED, on you! He had a BABY! With Jessica DILAURENTIS! Okay? And right now, she's sitting in our sofa, and I swear to God she looks so much like Ali, and..." I trailed off. "Wait, you KNEW? You knew Dad CHEATED on you? And you didn't do ANYTHING?"

"Spencer, calm down!" Mom ordered. "I have done something. Several things. We were going to tell you soon. When the papers came through. Tanya however has arrived before the papers."

"What PAPERS?" I practically shrieked, getting hysterical.

"Spencer, CALM!"

"I WON'T CALM UNTIL YOU TELL ME WHAT'S GOING ON!"

Mom inhaled quickly. "Your father and I are getting divorced. The papers are supposed to be coming next week. He had told me about his... cheating previously. And if he wants to be with Jessica, so be it."

I didn't say anything for a long time, so long Mom said "Are you there?"

I heard our front door shut, and closed my eyes, breathing sharply, trying to count to ten in my head to stop myself freaking out. "Yes Mom. I'm here. Okay. I've got to go. Emily's wondering what would have happened to me. Goodbye."

I heard Mom tut slightly, probably in disgust, then "Goodbye, Spencer. We'll talk more when I get home."

I hung up quickly, staring at the phone for some time. Then, cupping my face, I leaned against the wall, slowly sinking down it, trying so hard not to cry, in case Emily would hear me and get worried.

My attempts didn't work. A massive sob echoed out of me, a sob filled with pain, anger and fear. Then another, and another, until I crouched into a ball with tears streaming down my face. I heard Emily's footsteps step lightly across the floor towards the room, then she quietly opened the door.

As I let go another massive sob, she simply sat down across from me, putting her arms around me and pulling me close to her. I moved my head slightly, so I was sobbing straight onto her shoulder, and she rubbed my back comfortingly. "Cry all you want, Spence, go on, I know you'll feel better."

I practically smiled through my tears at the Emily-ness of that statement. She was the "nice one" of our group. The dependable, loyal, friends-focused one. She was sensitive, in a way that made her so aware of people's emotions that she could basically tune into them at times. She knew exactly what I needed at that exact time.

If it was Hanna who'd found me sobbing on the floor, she would have waited until I'd managed to choke out who exactly I was crying about then she would hunt their ass down. Aria's so mature she would have gotten me a box of tissues, sat me down on the sofa and let me talk all about it. Emily instantly knew I needed human comfort. We tease her about it at times- especially Hanna, you know, "trust the lesbian". But we know there's nothing like having a friend like Emily, and she knows we know that. Without her being up herself, she knows she's different. But she also knows it's a good thing. Especially for her friends.

I tried to pull away, worrying about getting my teary snot on her pyjamas, when I realized she was shaking slightly. And when I felt a wet patch on my shoulder, I realized she was crying too. _This must have brought back so many memories of Alison_, I realized, before I was overwhelmed in my own self-pity, and began sobbing again.

Emily fell in love with Alison, before she died. And the worst thing about it, is that I personally think Ali led her on, knowing Em was falling so hard for her, and enjoying every bit of it. She was like that. She LOVED to fuck with people. When Em finally let it go- displaying her affections for the first time- Ali shoved it right back in her face. And that killed Em. Knowing she could never have her.

Then when Ali went missing, Em was the worst affected out of all of us. She actually didn't eat for days. I don't think she slept either. She stayed watching TV for any news updates, cooped up in her room, alone. For about four weeks. After those four weeks, she began sleeping again- only to wake up screaming from horrific nightmares of Ali being murdered. So any image, or reminder of Ali pulls her back into a position of extreme pain. Of agonizing love.

Then seeing Tanya that day, would have thrust Em into such a flow of painful, painful memories that it was no wonder she was crying with me. Another reminder of the love she could never have.

We stayed there for ages, crying into each others shoulders, until we finally dragged ourselves upstairs, and wordlessly fell asleep in the beds we'd set up.

Cause that's what best friends do.

**R&R pleeeaasseee! Thanks those who already have... I larhve you :D more on the way if you review and alert! Oh and by the way don't you just love Tanya's sarcasm? ;)**


	3. I Don't Feel Like Dancin' Anymore

**Chapter Three**

**Emily POV**

I woke up screaming. For the first time in two years. I thought I'd gotten over the nightmares when I moved on from Alison, and started dating Ben. I know now he was my cover, for me being gay but at the time, someone to love me kept the nightmares away.

_We were in the library, once again, my head on Ali's shoulder, and the sun glowed in golden from the open window. Ali had her head bent, reading her book, a small smile playing around her perfect pink lips. She flicked the page, sighing slightly, and I couldn't keep my eyes off her beautiful face. A small strand of hair fell across her face, and without thinking, I moved my hand and gently pushed it behind her ear. She smiled crookedly, and turned her head towards me, and her gorgeous eyes hypnotized me. I leant in and kissed her._

_And then I was shoved back, rough hands on my shoulders pulling me away, and as I gasped, her face, twisted with malice, flashed into mine. Except it wasn't her face anymore. It was Tanya's._

"_Ew. Lesbian faggot." She hissed, again and again, until her voice multiplied into a buzz of voices cursing me, with every insult under the sun. And when I covered my ears, I saw her hands morph into twisted claws, reaching out for me, nails razor-sharp. I screamed as loud as I can, trying to run, chased by thousands of Tanyas._

And then I woke up.

I looked over to the other bed, and saw Spencer's sleeping form curled up in the heavy blankets on her bed. I leaned in closer to check on her, and saw damp tear patches still staining her face. She sighed in her sleep, a tiny, contented, peaceful sound. I wondered how she could sleep so well when I was plagued by nightmares.

Tanya's hissing voice echoed through my brain and I shuddered, deciding now would be a good time to get away from it. I scrawled a note for Spencer next to her bed, grabbed my iPod and running kit (always taken with me now in case of emergencies ie. I get so freaked out I have no choice to run from things), and headed out the door.

I plugged my headphones in and began jogging, disconnecting slightly with the world happily. My iPod shuffled, blaring Runner Runner in my ears.

_Who do you want?_

_It's more than a crush_

_Loving you only gave me papercuts_

_Something so real_

_Taught me never to trust_

_Loving you only gave me papercuts_

_You gave me papercuts_

**(A.N. Soz to interrupt, but check out this song on Youtube! Runner Runner are awesome)**

I frowned, realizing how much the song reminded me of Ali. _I really have to get new, non-depressing songs. _Except I really didn't have papercuts from it. Huge, gaping wounds from it, perhaps. Ones I'd thought had just healed. And now, bam. Opened up, just due to a familiar face.

I flicked to the next song. Turn Me On- David Guetta and Nicky Minaj. A grin spread across my face. The song was awesome. Nicky Minaj proving she could sing. Hell yeah.

_My body__ needs a hero, come and save me__  
><em>_Something tells me you know how to save me__  
><em>_I've been feeling real low__  
><em>_Oh, I need you to come and rescue me__  
><em>_  
><em>_Make me come alive, come on turn me on__  
><em>_Touch me, save my life, come on and turn me on__  
><em>_I'm too young to die, come on __and turn me on__  
><em>_Turn me on, turn me on, turn me on, turn me on__  
><em>_  
><em>_Make me come alive, come on and turn me on__  
><em>_Touche me, save my life, come on and turn me on__  
><em>_I'm too young to die, come on and turn me on__  
><em>_"_Turn me on, turn me on, turn me on, t-t-t-turn me on!_"__  
><em>

**(A.N. Again- listen to this song on YouTube- you'll get into Emily's mood!)**

"Nice singing."

I opened my eyes (I hadn't even noticed I'd closed them) to see Tanya standing in front of me, hand on her hip, at the entrance of the park I always jogged. I gasped, tugging the headphones out of my ears. "Crap!"

"Your dancing too... that was quite... fabulous, I must say."

"I was dancing?"

"Can I do an impersonation? It was like this-" She began beating her foot on the ground and swaying from side to side, jiggling her hips, mouthing the lyrics in big dramatic movements, her eyes closed.

I flushed, embarassed, as she opened her eyes and grinned lazily at me. "Don't worry, I thought it was pretty good. What song was it?"

"Uh, Nicky Minaj and David Guetta... Turn Me On."

She nodded. "I know that. Good song. So what are you doing out here at 5-30 am?"

"It's 5-30...?"

She stared at me like I was an idiot, wrinkling her nose. "Are you feeling all right? Or do you randomly dance early in the mornings alone just for the hell of it?"

"I was going for a run."

"Well, that explains everything."

I sighed and cupped my head in my palms. Looking at her scared me enough, yet alone talking to her. The feeling of my stomach dropping out from beneath me, triggered just by her gorgeous face, terrified me. _I have to go._ "I should probably continue. Bye."

"Hey, hey, no need to be rude. We could have a conversation, you know."

"About what?"

"The freakin' elephant in the room. Or the park, for that matter. Alison DiLaurentis."

She studied my reaction, which was as contained as I could make it. "See? You flinch or go pale every time she's mentioned. You can't meet my eyes, yet you're always staring at me when you think I'm not looking. But I am, and I can see the looks you're giving me, Emily. You're really not good at hiding your emotions, are you?"

I gaped, then suddenly realized my eyes were burning with shameful tears. I ducked my head away, glimpsing her expression softening. "Emily?"

"Bye." I choked, plugging my headphones back in, and starting to run.

She took two quick steps to the right, cutting straight across me. "Nuh-uh. No you don't."

_That's so like Alison_, I suddenly thought, and felt my eyes burn. She leaned forward and grabbed my shoulders, and I shrunk back slightly from her touch.

"I've spent my entire life wondering about this Alison girl, Emily." She spoke, her voice quiet and tender. "It's like a big missing chunk in who I am. I just need something... anything. Please."

I closed my eyes, trying to get rid of the imminent flood. "I seriously... don't wanna talk about her. If you knew of the history between her and I... you would not be asking me this question."

"Were you in love with her or something?"

Shock rippled through me, and I squinted at Tanya in disbelief. She shrugged. "I've always been kind of perceptive. And the looks you give me reveal a lot. So... you're lez?"

A sudden courage overwhelmed me. This is the one thing I'd learnt to be strong about- my sexuality. Coming out had given me a strength that taught me to cling to who I was, that I shouldn't be ashamed of it. I straightened up, praying my eyes weren't bloodshot, and looked her in the eye. "Yep. Gotta problem?"

"None at all. What, you think I'm gonna start backing away?"

"That was a few people's reactions." I slightly smiled.

"Seriously, don't worry. One of those things. I really... don't give a fuck about." She paused for thought, staring slightly into space. "Was it Alison's?"

Just like that, I was dragged into a flashback. Alison turning her golden, freckled back on me, changing after swimming, and me letting it go for one moment. Just forgetting everything in a moment of blind, stupid lust, and leaning down to kiss her neck, ignoring my brain completely.

And after that I'd prefer to forget. I have many imagined scenarios which make it easier to smooth over the pain, numb it slightly. Ones where she spins around and kiss me back. Ones where she tells me she likes me. Ones where we passionately kiss without any interruption, beautiful, gorgeous, requited love.

But the reality is she threw it straight in my face, outraged. I can still hear her voice now, anger overshadowing it. "What are you doing?"

Her eyes practically shot laserbolts out of them, and I backed away. "N-nothing, I just..."

So many times I've kicked myself for being so weak at that time, but I couldn't say anything with that intense look of horror painted across her face. "You just what?"

My mouth gaped slightly and I stared at her, my brain scrambling for an excuse. She eyeballed me intensely. "Just because we kissed in the library, Emily, doesn't mean I'm into you like that."

_No. Don't say that. Please don't say that, Alison, take it back, please, I want you to... _My stomach dropped with an awful sinking feeling, and I felt a lethal cocktail of emotions beginning to stir within me- sadness, guilt, heart-break. I swallowed, trying to choke it down.

"A kiss is a kiss. I like _boys_." She paused, almost as to note the destructive path this was wreaking inside of me. "And trust me, if I'm kissing you, it's because it's practice. For the real thing."

Every cell in my body told me to make a hasty escape. Now. But I took a deep breath in, pulling a towel off my locker, closing it as calmly as I could, picking up my bag and walking away. _Calm as you can, calm as you can..._

"Hey, where are you going? You're my ride, remember." Alison said to my retreating back.

I paused, and turned around, plastering a fake smile on my face. "Right." I said, and patiently waited. _Like a good little girl_.

Zapping back to reality, I realized Tanya was gazing at me once again. "It was, wasn't it? Classic tale of unrequited love. You loved her but she didn't love you. She liked boys, yeah? And when she died... it must have killed you. And now it's like having her right in front of you... in me."

I opened my mouth to something, and closed it with a slight _ha. _"That's pretty much it... Sherlock."

"That's a pretty good TV show over in England. Don't diss. But this thing is like freakin' inception bro. It's like her... looks like me... who you like... Argh! Brain can't handle it!"

I smiled, appreciating her trying to lighten the mood. "We have to go deeper." I mimicked, lowering my voice.

She laughed big and loud, and I noticed how shockingly pretty she looked when she smiled. As I shyly grinned at her giggles, she winked at me. "Good sense of humour. Me gusta. Would it kill the mood if I asked you another question?"

Cue loud sigh from me. "If you must."

"What was Alison like? Like... as a person."

I paused, thinking. "Well... I suppose..."

And suddenly all the words came rushing out of me all at once, like they'd been trapped inside me forever. "She was never afraid to tell people what she thought. Some people said that was snobby and cocky, but, you know, it just made her seem brave, confident to me. She was always really outgoing, and she really could be... flirty at times, I guess. She was beautiful, as you know, and basically everyone loved her. Especially Spencer, Aria, Hanna and me. She believed secrets kept our friends close, and she was right."

Before I knew it I was telling Tanya everything that had happened the night Alison was killed. How I had felt. How much I was in love with her. I even told her about my new loves now, Maya, Paige, Samara, everything. We began walking, Tanya completely paying absolute attention. Every now and then she'd add in a sound of sympathy, agreement, or interest.

We were in the middle of the woods when I finally finished, realizing I was slightly out of breath. Tanya's eyes were closely focused on mine as we stood, the sunrise casting glowing shadows throughout the spindly trees. She cocked her head onto one side, as if she was intensely concentrating on something. "You've grown up a lot, haven't you?"

I frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Like... you've matured. You've stopped being the little girl pining after her unrequited life. You've like, grown up, moved on, let yourself love over things. That's kinda brave. You're brave."

Her comments oddly warmed my heart. "Thanks... I guess. No one's ever really told me that before."

"Really? It must be obvious for your friends to see, though, right? I mean... You're really brave. And they must really respect you for that. You must be the strongest one in your little group thing, for managing to put your heart back together again."

I shook my head. "Trust me, I'm not the strongest one."

As she raised her eyebrows, a sentence bubbled out over my lips before I could stop myself saying it. "I've been called the weakest link before, actually."

"Bull-to-the-shit. You're brave as hell."

I shrugged, and looked away. "It doesn't really matter."

An awkward silence reigned supreme, then Tanya checked her watch. "Ahg. I should get going. By this time, Jason's gonna be wondering where I am."

"Yeah, I suppose I should continue with that run... See ya then."

"See ya. Oh... but by the way, do you wanna hang out sometime?"

She was leaning against a tree, completely casual and confident. _Why not? Nice to have someone __who... understands? Can talk to? _My heart went before my head, as per usual when I make my big mistakes. "Sure. When and where?"

"Alesandro's Coffee? They do great moccachinos. Like... Tuesday? 4-00?"

I went with it. "Sounds good. See ya there."

"Yep, see ya!"

We waved goodbye and she seemed to immediately disappear into the bushes the minute I turned my back. I pulled out my iPod, realizing it had been on the entire time, and my batteries had died. Cursing, I tucked it back into my pocket, then felt my phone vibrate.

_Oh no. Not now, A, Jesus, just gimme a break..._

I pulled the phone out, fingers trembling.

**So I see you've met my kid sister. Be warned- she knows more than she lets on... and takes after me quite a bit!**

**xoxo**

**-A**

_Shit._

**Hanna POV**

I was driving back home after a long... all-night... interesting... study session. With Caleb. There was much studying to be done. Yep. Studying. Particularly biology. I was very... interested in that subject. So Caleb... gave me a few pointers, you know.

Anyways. I'm getting distracted. How was I that day? I know I was a bit tired, my eyes looking suspiciously like Taylor Momsen's, but a swig of the strong coffee next to my hand in the cup holder certainly woke me up. Hanna + caffeine= normal Hanna. Hanna + no caffeine= ultra grumpy bitchy nasty constantly complaining Hanna who will quite easily bite the hand that feeds it. Unless that hand has coffee.

I was reflecting on an amazing… study session when the traffic lights I was at turned red, and I pulled up at the pedestrian crossing. Dawn was glowing bright across Rosewood that day, I remember. The sun had spread its golden rays across the clear sky. It was gonna be another beautiful day, the radio jockey noted. I smiled absentmindedly, my eyes flicking down to the small figure crossing the road.

She turned her face towards me and I just about spat out my coffee all over my steering wheel. I'm not shitting you here when I say, it was _Alison_. She strolled across that crossing like it was a catwalk. And she even smiled sweetly at me as she crossed. I gaped.

_Alison? But what… wait… HOW? _

I was scrambling for ideas, and then jammed my hand down on the horn, hoping to attract her attention. As the loud blare rang out across the street, she turned again towards me, this time frowning. She stared at me, waving my hands desperately inside the vehicle, tooting a few more times for good luck. I stared back at her. It so was Alison! Everything about her… those colour eyes, that perfect skin, the way she held herself, with that goddamn perfect figure.

_Wouldn't she like to see you now, Hanna? Wouldn't she? After she made you stick your head down a toilet, day after day? After years of her telling you, that you were never going to be good enough? After her herself nicknamed you "Hefty Hanna" just to make you feel worse? After she so nearly drove you to the brink of serious bulimia? Isn't it great she's back?_

At that time I wasn't logically thinking "Isn't she dead?" You know, like a normal person would. I was thinking "HOW DARE SHE SHOW HER ASS HERE!"

I realized the light had changed to green, so, stomping on the accelerator, I sped over to the right, neatly pulling over into an unoccupied parking lot next to the payphone Alison was awkwardly standing at, staring open mouthed at me. I swung the car door open, scrambled out of it, and slammed the door shut, all the while giving her the dirtiest look I possibly could. _Oh yes, it takes a lot of practice to multitask like I can. _

I stomped up to her, fury bubbling over deep within me. If I didn't know better I'd say she looked terrified. She took a step back, and that's when I realized I was a good inch or two taller than her. _I've never been taller than Alison…_

Ignoring that minor detail, I launched into my rage-filled tirade. "Alison!"

She stared at me, her face dropping. "Oh shit not again…" She murmured.

**And I'm gonna leave it there for now! Hope you like guys **** btw lovin how Emily and Spencer react to Alison- "Oh Alison, come in, we love you, we missed you**** so much, have a cookie Alison, hell, have them all, where have you been, tell us everything!" And how Hanna reacts… "ALISON WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE? IMMA KICK YOUR ASS SO HARD YOU'LL BE VOMITING UP YOUR TEETH, ANGRY BLAH BLAH BLAH I HATE YOU ****SO MUCH BLAH BLAH BLAH!"**

**R&R, as per always! :D**** oh and by the way I may not be able to update so much cause I've got exams this term and I really need to study… sorry guys! **


	4. Hanna Loses It Bigtime

**Tanya POV**

So there I was, up early in the morning, because I'm jetlagged from the flight from England to this piddly little town- Rosewood? And I also couldn't sleep. It's a little hard to when you've possibly just wrecked your half-family's life forever.

So then I decide to go out for a walk, and bump into Emily, who's doing a dance in the middle of the pavement intriguingly like a zombie. We walk, we talk, and she gives me some info on Alison. And herself, for that matter. I say thank you, layer on compliments, and then make our goodbyes.

Then I decide to wander down and try to find a payphone in the village. To talk to my parents, cause Jason is living like he was born and raised in the Dark Ages in his house. He hasn't even got a new landline wired up there yet. It's horrifying for someone like me- who spends a large percentage of their life online. The only thing Jason has online is quite possibly a MySpace which he never updates. Terrifying.

As I ambled across a pedestrian crossing along the main road, I realized a payphone was in sight. I wondered what I was going to tell my parents. "Hey Mum, Dad, how's it going? How's work? How's Gramma? Oh yeah, about that whole "find out my real parents" thing, guess what? I've accidentally ruined a family's life, like you said I would. Yay. Got to go, more people to haunt with my face. Bye-bye!"

I smiled a little at my idiocy, and turned to grin thanks at the car that stopped for me. Dad had taught me when I was younger that I must always wave or smile or nod in thanks to a car that stops for you on a pedestrian crossing. I practically do it as a reflex now. Every car pulls up; I beam a cheerful thank you, or graciously wave. I must look like the most popular person in the world in car parks.

Suddenly the car honked its horn very loudly, and I practically jumped out of my skin. I whipped around, scowling at how easily I'd been frightened. There was a girl inside the car, waving frantically at me, hammering on the steering wheel. She would have been quite pretty if anger had not creased her features into a horrified glare. She had tousled blond hair, deep green eyes with perfectly applied circles of eyeliner, pale skin and light pink lips. As I stared at her, she stared back, and I could practically see rage clouding her gaze through the translucent windscreen. I scuttled off the road, very freaked out.

I had hoped she'd drive off and go be angry somewhere else. Maybe she was just having a bad morning and needed to let off some steam. But she quickly pulled into the park next to me, nearly taking my ankles off in the process. I leaped back, moving quickly towards the payphone on the side of the road and clinging to it like it was a weapon. _Somebody's definitely got PMS today…_

The girl leapt out, slamming the door shut and storming towards me, her eyes flashing like thunderbolts. I gulped, wondering if I'd skipped across any storm warnings when I'd read the paper. This girl was like a hurricane, cyclone and earthquake all mixed into one.

She stood in front of me, quivering with pure rage, while I tried not to cower, still hanging onto my payphone for dear life. "Alison!" She spat.

_Thanks so much, Alison, for pissing off whoever this girl is. Really buddy. I owe you a dozen. _

"Oh shit not again…" I murmured, realizing exactly her mistake.

Her fists clenched at her side, and her eyes blazed wildfire. "Where have you _freaking _been?"

"Whoa, hey, I'm not actually-"

"Never mind, I decided I don't care. Why are you showing your ass back here again? To torture me some more? To make all of our lives _hell _once again?"

"I really don't-"

"I don't want to hear your bullshit! You put us all through hell, Alison, and none of us are gonna be happy to see you back here. You manipulated Spencer so much. You lead Emily on and then hurt her, so badly. You blackmailed Aria, for God's sake! And then, look what you did to me. The worst of the lot."

"Just hang on a sec-"

"No! I'm not hanging on for you, Alison. I spent two years hanging on, for _you. _Remember? Hanging on the toilet seat, puking my guts out while you sat and watched. And applauded me. And told me I was doing the right thing. You made me more insecure than anyone I've ever known, Alison. Well you can take all your insults, and all your fake advice, and you can shove it!"

"What are you-"

"Don't tell me, you're pretending not to remember? Remember "Hefty Hanna" Alison? That pie I ate one day, just one stupid, bingey pie? And then, you waltzed into the room, on your little ballerina feet, all smiles, and you saw me chuck the pie. And you, you used all your fake sincerity, all your "I understand" bullcrap. You didn't understand anything about me! You never will!"

"I… I don't-"

Tears began sparking at the corner of her wildfire eyes, making them shine with anger and pain. "And then I cried, right in front of you, and you just loved that! You lapped it all up. Remember? "You don't have to feel this way." You said, and I fell right into your stupid, open trap of suggestions, and your entire fake "I'm a good friend" act. You weren't a good friend! You were the worst friend, anyone, could have ever had! You began an eating disorder for me, you began lecturing me on what I ate, you! You started a voice in my head which will never, ever go away!"

"Wait, stop, I want to-"

Droplets hung from her long eyelashes, and her mascara was beginning to smudge her cheeks with ashy dark circles. "It was all you! All the time! And I thought you'd gone. I thought I'd gotten over you when I went to the shrink. And you talked to me! You told me you were always gonna be there. And now, here you are. What do you think of me now, Alison? Do I satisfy you? Are you happy? That you made me feel insecure enough to lean down into a toilet, stick a finger down my throat, and vomit up whatever I'd eaten? You disguised it. You didn't call it bulimia. But that's what it was!"

I didn't say anything, staring at her, who had run out of breath. She held her head in her hands, took a deep breath, and then sobbed. Hard. Big, deep, choking rushes of emotion poured out of her. I tried to grab her hands and calm her down, but she pulled away. "Don't you _dare _touch me!" She hissed.

"Listen, whoever you are, I'm actually not-"

She suddenly lunged forward and punched me in the face. Hard. I saw stars gaudily spinning in front of my face as I reeled drunkenly, feeling my nose explode with burning, throbbing pain. I felt something wet and warm drip down my face and over my lips, as I grabbed the payphone, sliding down against it.

"Not so pretty are you now, Alison?" She snarled, and kicked me in the stomach for good measure. I doubled over, winded, gasping for air, while my guts tried to make a leap for freedom up my throat. "And- that's-for-you-and-your-perfect-little-stomach!"

She kicked and thrashed at me, particularly at my stomach while I curled up in a ball, trying to scream but making whimpers. Then, satisfied, she turned on her heel, and walked away. "LEAVE TOWN, ALISON, DON'T COME BACK!" She yelled, slamming her car door shut, and speeding off.

I lay there, blood dripping from my nose onto the pavement, idly wondering if I would be able to have children after the several stiletto-heeled kicks the girl had aimed dangerously near my ovaries. _Oh God, worse case of mistaken identity ever… _

**Spencer POV**

I woke up from a deep, dreamless sleep, thank God. If I had dreamed it would probably have been about something disturbing, like my dad having sex with Jessica DiLaurentis. Oh no, mental image… Mental image!

First thing I noticed was that Emily wasn't in the bed next to mine- but by now, I was getting pretty used to her charging off by herself whenever she got stressed about anything. I sat up, and my eyes fell upon her note.

_Hey Spence, gone for a run. I think I need some thinking space. As do you. I'll be back soon. xx_

I wandered downstairs in my pyjamas, immediately heading towards the coffee pot, when I heard the doorbell go. Several times. And a hammering upon the door.

I frowned, wondering why Emily was so desperate to get in, but as I unlocked the door, I saw Hanna standing there.

First thing I noticed- she was out of breath, huffing like she'd just run a couple of miles

Second thing I noticed- her mascara and eyeliner was streaked all over her face, wiped hurriedly, and her eyes were puffy

Third thing I noticed- she kept unclenching and clenching her fists. Like she does when she's stressed. And as I looked closer, I could have sworn I saw a red smear on her fingertips. And when she unclenched them, I saw a splotch of dark red wiped across her knuckles. The colour could only have meant one thing.

"Hanna, what the hell has happened?"

Her eyes were fearful, flitting from me to the doorway to around the street. "Spencer, oh my god, Alison, she's back, Alison's back!"

"What?"

"I saw her in the street… she's smaller and dyed her hair, but she's still the same Alison! Everything about her is the same! And she smiled at me and all…"

_Oh no, no, no… _I suddenly realized who Hanna had seen. "Hanna, that wasn't Ali…"

"Yes it was! Don't tell me what I saw, I know you think she's dead, but she's not, she was walking around the street, and she definitely recognized me, she was afraid of seeing me! And I, I lost my temper at her, and I wouldn't let her speak, and-"

"Hanna, oh my god, what did you do?"

She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, smearing her eyes with dark red. "Hanna!"

"What?"

"There's blood on your hands! Did she… did she hurt you?"

Hanna's eyes suddenly widened with fear. "Spencer, you can't tell anyone, no one saw, I just lost my temper-"

"HANNA WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO AN INNOCENT GIRL?"

"Alison was in no way innocent, Spencer! You remember all the shit she did to us!"

"THAT WASN'T ALI YOU MORON, IT WAS HER SISTER!"

Hanna paused, staring at me. "What?"

"IT. WASN'T. ALI. IT. WAS. HER. HALF-SISTER."

Hanna paled. "No… it was Alison… it can't have been… no…."

I calmed myself down by taking a couple of deep breaths. "Emily and I thought it was Ali too when we first met her. Now tell me what you did to her. Now."

Hanna bit her lip. "I… I lost my temper, and I punched her and kicked her a couple of times…"

"Hanna!" I cried, outraged. "Was she okay?"

Hanna didn't respond, so I grabbed her. "Hanna, tell me, was she okay?"

"I don't know… I left her in the pavement."

"You mean she was sprawled on the pavement? My God, Hanna, we have to call an ambulance! She could be seriously hurt!"

"I didn't mean to- I thought she was-"

"I know what you thought she was, Hanna!"

I ran to my phone, wrenching it out of the cord and quickly tapping 911. After two rings, an operator's voice sounded. "911, what is the nature of your emergency?"

"Ambulance, please." I gasped, as Hanna stood in the doorway, looking stricken.

"What has happened?"

"A girl has been… assaulted." I said, hearing Hanna gasp at my choice of words. "You need to come really quickly. I don't know if she's okay."

"Alright, where is she?"

I looked to Hanna, who murmured "Rosemary Street."

"She's by the crossing in Rosemary Street, I think she's lying there."

"Okay, I'm getting someone dispatched right away. What's happened to her?"

"She's been assaulted quite badly, I think she's bleeding."

"Has she been raped?"

"No! God, no." I said in horror. "She's just been punched and kicked quite a few times and the… assaulter left quickly."

"Right, stay on the line please; we have someone who's five minutes away. Are you related to the girl in question?"

I was about to say no, when I realized, and could have laughed except for all the emotional pain which churned up inside me. "Yes. Yes I am…"

"How are you related to her?"

I bit my lip, straightening my shoulders, and took a deep breath. "I'm her… I'm her half-sister."

**Right, leaving you guys on a cliff-hanger! Thanks all those who have reviewed… especially spinoza-off, I have to say I'm loving Speeding Up at the moment! :P wonder what's gonna happen to Tanya… and Hanna? Is Tanya gonna be okay? Will Tanya she press charges? What's gonna be Aria's reaction to her? How's Spencer gonna deal with being a half-sister? And what will happen when her Dad comes home? All new in my next chapter! :D**

**By the way, HAPPY HALLOWEEN! xx**


	5. WALRUUUUSSS

Aria POV

I was sitting in my room, scribbling away at my journal, when my phone buzzed. I've often been writing when all our major crises emerge. It's quite amusing, really- because what I write about is our major crises. I have scribbled many thoughts down about A. Many, many, many. Some of them are swear words underlined heavily with red ink, drawn so heavily they indent into the paper. Some of them are little notions or brainstorms over who it could be- crosses and haphazardly written words dot these pages. On one page, there's a massive list of all the people A could possibly be- accompanied with sketches from me. One by one, I've gone through this list and occasionally crossed people out with black marker. Very occasionally, however. Yet I've never crossed out Ali.

I can't bring myself to do that. When I drew the picture of her, intricately next to her description of a person, her pencilled likeness stared blandly out from the page. Yet it was enough to terrify me. Shivering, I'd closed the book quickly, and tried to fall asleep. But I didn't get any sleep that night. Ali's face seemed to leer at me up through the closed book, like that freaky scene in Harry Potter where they opened the forbidden book and it screamed up at them through the pages.

I won't cross out the notion of her being A, nor erase the picture, much as it scares me. I believe we always have to keep our minds open. Ali could be alive, and playing yet another malicious trick on us. Freaking us out to make us laugh. Yeah, Ali definitely got a kick out of that. I couldn't fathom why she'd try something like this, though. Still, minds open, wide to suggestions at any time.

I closed the journal, flipping my phone open in an expert manoeuvre. Hanna had been texting me lately about her fun little adventures with Caleb. I mean, no offence, but I didn't want to know at all. My mind hardly needed any persuasion to bombard my brain with images I'm sure Caleb would find very enjoyable but I find horrifying. Sure, it was great she was enjoying full use of Caleb, and I was really happy for them. But a little less info… please!

**Aria. SOS. Mt da hosptl. Come quick!**

**-Emily**

"Oh God, no." I murmured under my breath, terrified that one of them had been hurt.

I scrambled off my bed, yanked my shoes on, tugged my coat off the hook and sprinted out the door. "Mom-just-going-to-see-Spencer-bye!" I yelled.

The reason I'd used Spencer is, well, everyone in my household approves of her. She's a little perfect model angel for us all to bow down to. So I wasn't too surprised when Mom yelled an approving "Okay, be back by seven!" at my retreating behind.

I unlocked the car and was just about to swing myself into it when my phone buzzed again. A text from Spencer, in her perfectly punctuated Oxford-worthy English.

**Prepare yourself. The news isn't good. Can't say anymore. **

**-Spencer**

First thought my sick-minded brain leaped to was that Hanna had seriously injured herself in a heated position of sex with Caleb. _Oh dear God, brain, why do you do this to me, why. _

I drove as quickly as I could, pulling up at St Mark's in a record time of fifteen minutes, though nearly getting badly clipped by a reversing ute which I honked appropriately at. I burst through the hospital doors nearly three minutes later. Emily, Spencer and Hanna were all standing patiently in the lobby for me.

"What? Guys? Why are we here? What's going on?"

Instead of Emily's sunny smile, and Spencer's convoluted explanation, and Hanna's occasional sarcastic, witty comments, there was nothing. Their faces were devoid of emotion. To be quite frank, they looked like someone had sucked the life out of them.

"Guys?"

Spencer sighed. "Long story. And for once, I have no idea how to begin it."

"Wait, it's not- it's not A, is it?"

Spencer and Hanna exchanged a long look. Emily just looked point-blank scared. "No. No it isn't A." Hanna said.

"Then what?"

Emily licked her lips nervously. "Maybe it's just better if you… see for yourself."

Spencer looked thoughtful, then nodded. "Agreed, then we can explain."

"Let's do it then." Hanna affirmed. "Aria, prepare yourself, like Spencer said."

I had no idea what they were talking about, and it evidently showed on my face. "Uh, right. Sure."

We all walked into the elevator solemnly, Emily jabbing the button for Level Three. Level Three proudly proclaimed by it to consist of "Trauma Patients".

_What is going on?_

We walked down a disinfectant-smelling corridor, and Hanna suddenly swung a right into a room, peeping inside, and then nodding. "She's there. Asleep."

I realized all of them were pausing behind me, waiting for me to enter first, and I tutted at how shy they seemed all of a sudden. I walked into the room, seeing a small figure lie on a hospital bed, hair strewn over the pillow. _Like Sleeping Beauty. _

And then it hit me. Ali lay on the pillow, looking a bit worse for wear, but the same Ali. Her pale pink nose was now crusted slightly with dry blood, dark blue bruises encircling it. There were clear stains where blood had been wiped away around her face, but she still looked the same. Perfect little Ali. Same dimpled chin, same hooded, long eyelashes, same perfectly plucked eyebrows, same clear zit-free skin. I could practically write a song about how she looked.

Now I knew why I couldn't bring myself to erase the picture. I'd known. Somehow I'd known she'd be coming back. _But how? They found her body… didn't they?_

I whipped around to Emily, Spencer and Hanna, all standing with their arms crossed, looking sheepish and defensive. "Where's she been?"

Em gave me a look full of such strong pity and love intertwined it made me stop my questions. "Aria… she isn't Alison."

"What?"

Spencer cut in. "She's my half-sister. And Ali's. They bear a remarkable resemblance to one another."

I blinked. "Your half-sister… and Ali's?"

Spencer's eyes were lowered so I couldn't see the emotions lurking behind them, but Hanna shot me a look of pure Hanna- the kind where you can almost hear her sarcasm speaking inside your head. _Put it together, dumbass. _

_The girl on the bed would only look like Ali so much if she had her mother… so Spencer's…. ohmygod. _

I jolted, pieces of the puzzle coming together. "Oh Spence." I murmured, before flinging my tiny arms around her tall frame.

She grabbed me and held me for a couple of seconds, relaxing. Hanna and Emily stood awkwardly, and then out the corner of my eye I saw Hanna wink and mouth something at her. I closed my eyes, comforting Spencer as much as I could, then when I heard a sudden groan I pulled my arms away.

Hanna had her face very close to Emily's, and for all it looked like, they were making out. "Guys!" I cried, scandalized. "What the hell are you-"

Hanna pulled away, giggling her head off, while Emily blushed and smiled. Spencer's mouth was gaping open. "Were you just making out there?"

Hanna laughed. "No, there was a hand." She demonstrated, clapping it over her mouth. "I just wanted to see how long it was gonna take you lovers to tidy it up."

I rolled my eyes, but Hanna had done well yet again to lighten the mood. Spencer, however, still looked ashen, whereas Emily looked plain old embarrassed. Excellent moment for the girl in the bed to stir.

**Spencer POV**

I still stared at Hanna, feeling something unidentifiable rise in my stomach. Whatever it was, it didn't feel good. Emily stared back at me, raising her eyebrows. "What's up, Spence?"

"Just feel a bit sick, is all." I murmured, turning my head towards Tanya, who was beginning to move in her bed. _Tanya, my half-sister. Have to remember that, don't I?_

I walked a bit closer to her just as she opened her stunning iridescent blue eyes, immediately focusing in on me, which suddenly squinted. "Mum?" She murmured.

I bit my lip. "No, it's Spencer."

She opened her eyes wider, and yawned. "Oh. Sorry. Wait… where am I?"

"You're in a hospital, Tanya."

"How did I… aaah!"

Hanna had taken that exact time to appear behind me, peering over my shoulder. Tanya looked honest-to-god scared. "I'M NOT ALISON WHOEVER YOU ARE!" She screamed, covering her face.

"Whoa, Tanya, calm down!" I cried, grabbing her hands. "It's okay. She's a friend."

She eyeballed me. "Friend?"

"Friend." Hanna confirmed behind me.

"Do you like having psychotic homicidal bitches as friends, Spencer, or is it just me?"

Aria stifled a wee chuckle as I frowned at Tanya. "What are you talking about?"

"Everyone seems to be extremely against Alison because she seemed to be a psycho bitch, and that crazy woman over there just beat me up cause I looked like her. So methinks you enjoy the companies of psychos. Do they balance you out or something?"

Hanna trotted forward, shaking her head. "Listen, you have no idea how sorry I am. I honestly thought you were Alison, and well, I lost my temper. I have a very brittle one, and sometimes… I can be a psycho bitch."

Tanya gazed at her for a while, no one knowing what to say. "Well did punching me up make you feel better about her?"

Hanna gaped. "No?"

"I'm asking you to be honest."

She squirmed uncomfortably. "Well… When I thought you were Alison, yes. But once I realized you weren't… I just felt a lot of guilt and sorrow."

Tanya nodded, and I had the creepy feeling she was exactly analysing Hanna's personality. "Okay. Apology accepted."

Hanna smiled and bent her head, stepping back. Tanya propped herself up on her elbows. "Now I know the three of you, who are you?" She said, referring to Aria.

Aria leant over her bed. "Hi. I'm Aria. Nice to meet you."

Tanya smiled. "Hi. I'm Tanya. At least one of you has manners. The other two were thinking about locking me out of the house and Hanna here is spoken for!"

We chuckled uncomfortably. Emily then raised her eyes to Tanya's. "How long are you here? What are you planning on doing?"

She looked Em direct in the eye with an odd expression- curiosity? Slight amusement? "As long as I want. I'm home-schooled. Parents approved to this brave adventure into the wilderness of my actual family tree. And I wasn't planning on anything, really. Just sort of introduce myself to Spencer's family, Alison's family, and then beat a retreat."

Suddenly an extremely overweight and old nurse came bustling into the room, peering at us. "Do you have visitor passes?" She barked.

"No? Are we supposed to?" I asked.

Her moustache practically bristled with joy. "Visitor passes or I'll need to remove you from the premises."

Hanna raised one delicate eyebrow and I mentally begged her not to say anything. Sadly, that was impossible, knowing Hanna.

She turned dramatically to the nurse. "My lord, heaven forbid we be escorted from the premises! Whatever shall my mama say? Oh, for that would be a fate worse than death, madam! Bid thee well, young Tanya, and may your recovery be a swift one. Until we meet again, farewell! Escorted from the premises doth do us part!"

She flicked her head back slow-motion movie style, uttered a long sigh, and elegantly strode past the nurse, who was glaring at her with a slightly murderous expression, which she obviously didn't notice. "Wherefore art my maidens? Come, ladies, lest we be escorted from the premises! For terror and shame strikes the heart of all at those very words!"

Tanya was muffling her laughter with her pillow as the nurse turned a violent shade of red. "Young lady, your manner is most-"

"GOOD DAY TO THEE, MADAM!"

"You do not need to be so-"

Hanna whipped around, standing in the corridor. "MADAM I MUST HASTE, FOR FEAR OF ESCORTED FROM THE PREMISES DOTH DRIVE ME TO RUN!"

By now the girls and I had piled out of the room and were standing by the elevator, doing our best to mask our chuckles with our sleeves. The nurse glared, and then marched into Tanya's room. Hanna stroked an imaginary beard thoughtfully. "Walrus… Walrus… wherefore art thou, walrus?"

I know I was the only one who getting the Shakespeare references- and I was suitably impressed- but Emily, Aria and I pealed into hysterics once the irate nurse suddenly reappeared in the corridor quickly walking down towards us, hearing Hanna's walrus joke. We scrambled into the elevator, Hanna desperately babbling Ye Olde English. "Fie, fie, but see my haste! Tis pure fear of being escorted which drives me! Ladies, we shall hurry to close the door of the elevator, lest walrus doth catch us fraternizing-"

The doors of the elevator closed just as her wrinkled moustached face came into view, and we burst into uncontrolled, snorting, crazy giggles as we plunged back down to the Ground Floor. We only regained the essence of calm when we were finally out of the hospital, standing in the carpark, taking deep breaths. My cheeks hurt from grinning so much. "Hanna! Where did you get all of that from?" I laughed, astonished.

Hanna raised her eyebrow. "Huh? What do you mean?"

"Like as in… all of that stuff was from the script we studied this year in AP English. Remember? _Othello?_"

"You were paying attention for once!" Aria squealed delightedly. We were always nagging Hanna about her grades. It looked like it had paid off.

Hanna looked blank. "I dunno what you guys are talking about… I was impersonating Spencer!"

My cheeks flamed red. "I don't talk like that! I never have done!"

"Um… you have." Aria agreed.

"That would be a yes. And it's quite scary when you do." Hanna grinned.

Emily didn't say anything, just watched me, her eyes twinkling, her little closed-mouth smile making her face glow. For some reason I decided to turn on her. "Am I scary?"

"We've had this discussion!" Aria blurted.

"You shush! I'm asking Emily. Not you, Miss Free Candy."

"Why am I Miss Free Candy?"

"Because obviously that's what Ezra has a lot of." I said, with satisfaction.

As Aria gasped, Hanna burst into laughter again. "OH NO SHE DID NOT!"

"OH YES I DI-ID!"

"YOU WENT THERE!"

"YES! I WENT THERE!"

Aria scowled, shaking her head, a smile creeping up at the corners of her frown though. Hanna, for a blonde-haired, green-eyed, white girl, was doing an excellent ghetto impersonation. "FO SHORE SHANIQUA SHE GONN N SAID IT AYYO WHAT YOU GONN DO GURL?"

Aria paused, staring at her. "Who's Shaniqua?"

Hanna shook her head in disappointment. "Aria."

"Yes?"

"You have failed me."

"Oh."

I turned to Emily, who was silently watching us all, smiling. "Returning to the matter at hand. Am I scary, Em?"

Aria and Hanna were quietly having a discussion about who Shaniqua was while Em and I faced off. She looked me in the eye. "Sometimes." She murmured.

"Sometimes as in when?" I cried, incredulous, stepping forward, trying to "get up in her grill" as Hanna would put it.

**Emily POV**

Spencer's eyes met mine directly, and I could see how her eyes glowed in the sunshine, the sun highlighting the chocolate-brown curves within them. A smile played around the edges of her mouth, and she tossed her hair slightly behind her, waves of walnut curls falling softly. "When?" She asked, horrified.

Without thinking, I murmured "When you're this close to me."

"What?"

I blinked, suddenly realizing what I'd said. "I mean-"

"Did you just say when you're this close to me?"

"No, I said… I have to pee."

"No, you said when you're this close to me."

"Uhm, yep." I mumbled. "It's just because I'm terrified of how you could slit my throat."

That did the trick. She looked aghast. "I'd never do that!"

"I'm sure." I laughed; feeling relieved at how I'd averted the situation. Then mentally kicked myself for being stupid. Again.

I was feeling so weird. After I'd seen Tanya, it'd been like Alison all over again. And not in a good way. In a terrifying way. I could almost feel myself falling in love with her, despite not even knowing her. And in a way, I felt like I needed to know her. To unearth something I could hate about her, so I could move on. Get on with my life. Start loving other people. Instead of Alison, who never wanted to let me go. And now I was being all weird around Spencer. Great, just freakin' great.

Why wasn't I one of those people who can so easily sort out their feelings? Instead mine were such a mess. I'd have loved to alphabetize them, OCD-Spencer-style. I've always envied her for that. She always knows what she's thinking, how to go about making herself better, how to clinically pull herself together. She's always so in control. And I'm always, so, so not.

Right now, she'd skipped off to Hanna and Aria. Aria suddenly looked very sullen. "Guys, I just had a thought." She murmured.

"Yeah? So did I. It happens quite often." Hanna said, with maximum sarcasm.

Aria shook her head distractedly. "No, I was thinking-"

"OH MY GOD WHAT A MIRACLE!"

"Seriously Hanna. Seriously."

"I'm deathly serious. This is a rare occurrence. Should I be taking photos?"

"Haaanaaaa!" Aria whined.

"That's my name."

Aria suddenly glanced upwards at the hospital windows, and beckoned us closer. "What if… What if Tanya's A?"

Even Hanna shut up for a couple of seconds. Aria used that to explain. "What if Ali was actually in contact with her, and told her all of our secrets? What if she's come here just to wrench us even further apart? She could have been staying in Jason's house for quite some time. She could have done everything… It all could be her."

Spencer paused, her brow wrinkled with thought, tapping her lips with her finger, like she always did when she was thinking. "Then why is she unveiling herself now?"

"So we can get to know her and trust her. And then when she least expects it... I bet she's gonna do something awful."

We paused in the carpark, stilled with this awful thought in mind. And, like clockwork, perfect timing, our phones all buzzed. Everyone immediately reached for them.

I choked when I read the text.

**Falling in love once again, Emily? How fun. I hope I'm there to watch.**

**-A**

Hanna read hers out with a shaking voice. "**Jokes won't help when the cops try find the "assaulter", Hanna. Who's laughing now? –A"**

Aria bit her lip then muttered. "**Oh, Aria, so suspicious of Alison. But even she couldn't dream up what's next. -A"**

Spencer was still tapping her lip, looking terrified. "**Poor Spencey. Daddy's not coming home. But neither is Mommy if I get my way... -A"**

Everyone stared at me expectantly, waiting for me to read it. I made a split decision. "I didn't get anything. Again." I said, not even needing to fake miserable.

We all stared at each other, not knowing what to do next.

**What has A got planned? Review and it comes faster! Haha **


	6. Skittles and Making Out?

**Emily POV**

**Before I write this, I'd like to dedicate this chapter to Spinoza-off. Your review was the sweetest thing I've ever read and I appreciated it so much it made me grin goofily like an idiot. THANK YOU! **

(**By the way this chapter contains special Spemily and Haria just for you :D)**

I was riding home in Spencer's car. She'd agreed to drop me off, though personally, I thought she'd just needed someone to bounce her various thoughts off. I was lounging in the seat, fiddling with the radio and uttering occasional "mmm" and "oh yep" sounds to make it seem like I was listening. I wasn't. There was way too much to think about.

Usually, I love listening to Spencer. She has such clear, concise, understandable views about everything. I listen to her whenever she needs to explain things to me. Which is a lot. From Russian History to why she's in love with Toby, she makes things simple. It's a rare talent. And I think she enjoys me being her soundboard for new ideas. Someone who will listen and agree. It's a good relationship we have.

"But I was thinking, she'd really need a motive, hm? So what if she's in it with Jenna? Jenna wants revenge on us for being blinded. So, she hires someone else to do the dirty work. Wait, actually, no, that doesn't make sense. Maybe she just has something against us. Or something seriously wrong with her. She must have been disguising herself, that's why we've never seen her before. And she must have been really close with Ali, and smart. Actually… Ali never mentioned anything about her to any of us. So she would have been a secret twin, right?"

The radio was uttering nothing but dense static and I was twiddling it aimlessly. Spencer was still babbling. "Secret twin, yes, kind of thing Ali would love. They would have been close. Maybe they Skyped each other if Tanya really did live in London. And then when Ali's body is found, Tanya comes here and stays in Jason's house… yes! She stays in Jason's house and starts all of this _crap_." She finished, vehemently, eyes flashing with slight anger.

I shook my head slowly, knowing she wanted me to say something. "It's a good theory…" I began.

"What do you mean it's a good theory? It's the only theory about A we've got, Em. It's our only theory." She confirmed, pushing her copper waves behind her ear. I caught a sniff of her Impulse- Tease, I think. It smelt good- blends of pineapple and woody scents. I inhaled appreciatively until I saw her giving me a weird look.

I shrugged, knowing she wasn't going to like what I had to say next. "But I think you're laying it too much on one person. I mean… what if she isn't A? We should keep our possibilities open."

Spencer sighed, still tapping her light pink lips. I watched her finger beating out a mindless rhythm, wondering how she managed to do this and still drive. "I know, you're right, but I'm just theorizing. It makes sense, though, right?"

"She needs a motive, Spence." I reminded her, refusing to comment on the "makes sense" part.

"We can find a motive with enough digging around. You know that. We've both done our detective work in the past." She was obviously in a lighter mood, grinning sideways at me, crookedly yet prettily.

The car stopped at a red light, and Spencer turned to look at me properly, tapping me now instead of her lips. "What's wrong? You seem... forlorn."

"English, please, not extra-credit Shakespearean."

"Woebegone."

"And it's still not computing."

"Disconsolate."

"Systematic Error 404!"

"Austere."

"You are enjoying this way too much."

She laughed, but quickly became serious, another funny knack of hers. She could twist the two emotions together into an intricate little knot. The very fabric of her personality was that knot. "Depressed! You seem depressed. Not your usual sunny self."

I shrugged again. "Happy people can't always be happy, Spencer. Sometimes we need to take a break."

"Don't give me that. That isn't the reason. What's wrong?" She shot straight back, not giving up.

When I didn't say anything the light turned green and the car sped forward once again. Spencer sighed. "I need to say this. I should be really upset about my Dad, but… I just feel relieved in a way. He was already gone to me, I guess. We were never tight. He just always wanted… Make that wants, wants me to be the best at everything. And you know, sometimes, I just can't do that. And he never understood. So we never got along. He was never there, and always angry, or stressed, so it was always Mom. And she didn't sound too surprised about Tanya."

I nodded slightly, staring at my hands in my lap, turning them over and over. "I'm just going to feel better once we prove A is Tanya. Then everything will be done." Spencer affirmed, nodding her head self-righteously. _So right, once again._

I turned to her, suddenly angry, weirdly. "What if it isn't Tanya, Spencer? What if you've got it all wrong? Okay, so she's new, and looks like Ali, doesn't mean you have to… have to… Ahg!" I huffed, frustrated both with her and my inability to communicate my feelings, throwing my hands down.

Spencer suddenly pulled the car over, for no particular reason, next to a café: lightning-quick. She cut the engine and folded her arms, staring ahead with a blank expression. I blinked at her. "What are you doing?"

"We need to talk, Em." She said, without a trace of anger in her voice, but neither a trace of happiness, simply sounding dead serious.

"About what?" I questioned.

She turned to me with a look of sudden understanding, eyes shining. I've seen that look many times in my life but never directed at me. "You don't like me accusing Tanya."

"Only because she may not-"

"Because she's like Ali. She looks like her, is a little like her, and you _want_ her to be her."

I froze, my comeback dying in my throat. As per usual, Spencer could see right inside my head. She looked satisfied with herself, with every reason to be. "That's the reason why you're depressed, isn't it?"

I flung an arm over my eyes, and leant further back in the seat. "I don't want to talk about it." I said, firmly.

To my surprise, Spencer instead unclipped her seatbelt, leant over and unclipped mine, then flung her arms around me. She pulled me into a tender, tight hug, her head resting on my shoulder. We stayed like that for a few seconds, before I pulled away. "Come on now, if you keep doing that in public view, people are going to think you're my latest victim." I muttered.

She raised her eyebrow at my words. "Latest victim?"

"You know." I said, waving my hand. I didn't want to go into details.

"I don't. For once, I admit."

"Latest… girlfriend." I said, not meeting her glowing hazel eyes, radiant beneath her thick lashes.

"Oh." She said abruptly, nodding. "Right. I see."

"Mmmhmmm." I agreed.

"_Victim_? Really?" She questioned, her eyebrows scrunching. "Unusual phrasing."

"Well, that's how some people would definitely word it."

"Homophobes, Em. People not _worth_ wasting your time on." She said, with such determination and knowledge in her voice it made me smile.

"I know." I nodded, directing my smile at her, tilting my head slightly.

"Good. Then let's get to the matter at hand. You _need_ to talk about it. Are you… like… hmm…amorous, for her, just because she looks like Ali?"

"English." I said, resigning to talking about it.

"It is English!" She replied.

"Then why don't I understand it?"

She stared off into space for a while, and rolled her slim shoulders, then turned, looking directly into my eyes. "Do you like her, Em?"

_Ouch. Straight to the point there. _I took a deep breath and plunged into the muddled well of my feelings."Well… She looks like Ali and we've talked a bit… so I, kind of might do. I just miss Ali a lot and she looks so much like her…"

"Looks like Ali _and_ me. You know. Best of both worlds. Two people you find ridiculously attractive." She winked.

I laughed, ducking my head, and like a miracle the radio suddenly started working as she started up the engine again. "This is She's Got You High, by Mumm-Ra" The DJ announced.

Spencer pumped her fist. "Yesss! Love this song!"

"I haven't heard it before." I said curiously.

"It was on 500 Days of Summer. Listen, the lyrics are so cute." She said, humming.

An English-accented voice sung softly through the car, accompanied by a strummed guitar and sounds I couldn't identify but sounded beautiful all mixed together.

_She's got you high and you don't even know yet, _

_She's got you high and you don't even know yet, _

_The sun's in the sky, it's warming up your bare legs_

_You can't deny you're looking for the sunset_

_(_**By the way guys search this up on Youtube… it's so Spemily! Haha xx)**

Spencer drove the car out of the lot back onto the road, doing a little drum session on the steering wheel, as the music instantly bettered my mind. I laughed, doing air guitar and banging my head like a pro. By the end of the song we were both bawling it out and giggling at the same time, not exactly a musical combination, and we'd pulled up at my house.

Spence leaned forward and flicked the radio off. "Em… Okay, I am, or I'm going to get, worried about you and Tanya. You liking her, I mean."

My happy mood suddenly took a plunge. It was almost painful talking about it. "Why?"

"I mean… I'm always protective of you normally but now, what if she's A? I mean… ugh. I don't want you to get hurt." She said with utter sincerity, looking deeply into my eyes to express her point.

Spence was always looking out for me no matter what. It's one of the reasons why she's such a good friend. She'd always be excruciatingly honest about my partners, and I tried to do the same with hers. If she thought someone was going to hurt me, she'd always let me know. And I was always grateful to her for it. "Spencer, nothing's going to happen. She'll leave and I'll, I'll get over it. Go back to Maya, I think." I wondered out loud.

Spencer smiled, and I could tell she'd been comforted. "Good, good. Okay. I was just wondering. Are you coming to the party on Saturday?"

"What party?"

"Apparently there's gonna be some kind of rave round at Cody Linford's. You know the guy with the massive pool?"

"Oh yeah, that guy. I wasn't invited, I think."

"Well I'm inviting you. So there. Can't get out of going now." She said with a smirk.

I rolled my eyes chuckling, and leapt out of the car. "Thanks for the lift, Spence. See you at that party then."

"Goodbye!" Spencer yelled, and with a wave, drove away.

I smiled after her and turned around to see my mom sitting out on the porch, watching me with a smile. "Hello, Em. How was Spencer's?"

"Oh, it was good, we just did the usual." I beamed, pausing on the front steps, making the decision not to mention Tanya. Mom would find out soon enough.

My mum's eyes narrowed with disgusted intrigue. Naturally I've seen that a lot. "What does the usual consist of?"

"Uhrm, pillow fights, eating Skittles and watching movies?" I laughed, remembering the fun we'd had up until Tanya arrived.

"So not… kissing or anything?" Mom hazarded, looking suspicious.

"What?"

"Well she is an attractive young girl, and it was a sleepover, and you seem very happy…" Mom trailed off at the expression on my face.

"Mom. Just because I am _gay_, does not mean I'm going to like every girl in sight. Spencer is my _friend_. That's it." I confirmed, crossing my arms.

"All right Emily, I was just wondering." She mumbled.

"Well wonder no more. I'll be upstairs if you need me." I said, walking past her determinedly, more than a little bit angry.

She didn't even stop me. I walked into my room, flinging my bag down, and sat on the edge of my bed, shaking my head at my mom. She thought I was going to fall in love with every girl I met. She never really grasped this whole yes-my-daughter-is-lesbian thing. For the first three weeks of me coming out I think she thought I was possessed by the devil or something.

I decided to text Spence to cheer myself up. **Cnt blve mi mom- she askd if we made owt all slpova!**

As I unpacked my stuff, my phone buzzed. **Well, that could be arranged.**

I laughed, almost hearing Spencer joking tone of voice inside my head. **Wat? U wana make owt with me Spence? Ths is new…**

Almost instantly I got a reply text. **Only if you want to. **

Now I wasn't sure whether she was joking or not. It wasn't like her to say weird stuff like that. **Spence? Wat do u mean?**

I sat there staring at my phone, unsure of how I suddenly felt. If she was joking, that was fine. It was just a joke. But now there was this possibility she wasn't… I allowed myself to imagine what had happened if my mom had been correct. Spencer was freakin' gorgeous. I'd told her so many times. And she was smart, and fun to be around, and loyal… and I had thought of her in that way before, but nothing serious. Just when I was beginning to realize my sexuality. There was never any possibility of it being fulfilled, so I had dropped it.

_She was always so insistent she liked boys…_

My phone buzzed. **I like you, Emily. A lot. Meet me at the Brook Bridge, in an hour. We can do whatever you want ;)**

I stared at my phone, mouth gaping. _What?_ I couldn't believe this. Spencer _liked _me? And wanted to… wanted to kiss me? My whole body suddenly shivered with an emotion I couldn't recognize. Was it fear, or was it excitement?

I lay on my bed for ages, trying to catalogue my feelings yet again. I _had _liked Spencer. As in had a bit of a crush. But I had quenched it when we all separated after Ali's death. And it hadn't appeared again when we'd gotten back together. I barely ever thought of it anymore. _Until now…_

And all of a sudden, all the crush-y weird feelings rose up in me once again. Overwhelmed by a sea of attraction, I sat up, flicking through my phone, scrolling to a picture of her and me. Just a random picture Hanna had taken on one of our various sleepovers. I zoomed in on her face, and suddenly felt an overwhelming shot of desirability.

_I really need to sort my priorities out! _I liked Spencer. That much was true. And I'd always ignored my liking of her, simply because I knew it could never be fulfilled. And now her saying she liked me was bringing back such an overload of warm mushy fuzzy feelings that I didn't even feel ready for. Happiness. Desire. Amazement. Love. Excitement. I practically was buzzing with it all.

_Perfect timing, Spence_. I needed to stop thinking of Tanya. And I was currently single. I took a deep breath, wondering what craziness I was about to plunge into. I knew I was letting myself get completely and utterly swept away in the heat of the movement. _Hadn't Spencer been nagging me to do that? Live for the moment?_ And suddenly, I knew these were exactly the kind of feelings someone felt before they did something really stupid.

**Melissa POV (OH YES! MELISSA!)**

Silly little Spencer to leave her toys lying around. Her phone was lying on the kitchen bench, and when it had vibrated, I had picked it up and read the text. Just being curious. It was from Emily. The lesbian amongst Spencer's friends. So I had decided to play a funny little prank by replying to Emily. And leading her on. Surprisingly easy. Spencer wouldn't know what to do when I did it. For once in her goddamn life.

Of course, this wasn't an isolated prank. This was revenge. Spencer had been such a rude little cow to me the past month. This would teach her not to mess with me. She'd have some fun explaining this to Emily. I grinned to myself as I imagined her horrified face. _Silly, silly, little Spencer. _

Her phone vibrated and I looked at the text. **Ok. Cu there. :) xx**

I smiled. Emily sounded like she was going to enjoy this. Maybe she had a crush on my sister. What an interesting thought. I then went deleting all the previous texts. _Spencer will have no clue. How amusing._

Suddenly Spencer wandered downstairs, seeing me with her phone in my hand. "Melissa? What are you doing?" She asked, looking suspicious.

I turned to her, all smiles and innocence. "Emily just called. I took it for you. She says could you please meet her at Brook Bridge, in an hour?"

She looked confused. "But I just saw Emily…"

"Mmm, she said it was very urgent. And not to text her, either. Her mom's taken her phone." I said, reaching for an imaginary safeguard so Spencer wouldn't text Emily.

Spencer nodded, suspicion disappearing from her face. "Okay. Thanks for passing on the message."

"No problem!" I trilled.

_This is going to be so funny… _

**Hanna POV**

I drove back home alone, listening to the radio and singing occasionally. But A's threat still lurked in my mind. _A could have evidence against me… could tell the cops… could plan this whole damn thing out. It could be revenge for me hurting Tanya! Ohmigod!_

I tried to convince myself that I'd be okay but all hope of that flew out the window when I saw a cop car outside my house. My heart rate increased by about five beats a second. I gasped, guilt flushing through me. _They can't prove anything… Can't prove anything… Can't prove anything…_

I parked my car and rushed out, opening the door quickly. My mom was sitting at the kitchen table with a cop, who had black hair and green eyes. "Mom!" I said, panicked.

"Hanna!" My mom said, sounding relieved. "Oh thank God you're back, I thought you'd been caught up in all this assaulter business!"

I tried to stop myself looking guilty and instead looked at the cop. He cleared his throat. "Matter of fact, she has, ma'am."

"What?" My mum questioned.

"What?" I said, being as innocent as I could.

The cop stood up, making me realize how much taller he was than me. "You're wanted in questioning to this assault, Hanna. Can I ask you a couple of things?"

_SHIT._

**Wow Melissa's a bitch! Just letting you guys know this story isn't planned at all… I'm making it up as I go along! So any suggestions are welcome **** what's going to happen between Emily and Spencer? Will either find out or realize? Is Emily going to be crushed? And what's going to happen to Hanna? Will the cop find any dirt on her? THANKS AGAIN Spinoza-Off, your review made my whole day :') **


	7. The Awkward Meter Peaked

**Spencer POV**

I wandered up to the Brook Bridge an hour later, wondering what was so urgent that Emily needed to see me. Maybe her mom was driving her crazy. Or maybe she just needed help with something, quite urgently. _That's what friends are for, hm?_

The Brook Bridge is in this big forest that is just behind Emily and mine's houses. It's in the middle of the forest, a simple little brook with a rope bridge across the deepest part. It's Rosewood teenager tradition for people who have been dating for more than six months to go and engrave their names into the wooden slats of the bridge. I'd known many people who had come up here with their loved ones, and chipped their names with soppy little hearts and xo's onto the bridge, then had a jolly good make-out session. But I'd never done it. _In fact, I don't think I've ever been committed to an__y__one for that long._ That thought intrigued and frightened me.

Toby and I had only been going out for four or so. I'd actually lost count. Another terrifying thought. I cursed my bad memory, stomping away in my Tory Burch boots. _Why can I never remember these sweet little details? _

But thinking of Toby soothed my grumblings. He'd been away on a new job for a couple of days now, but he was coming back tomorrow. I smiled when I thought of his happy expression when he would see me. Those blue eyes shining like beautiful amethysts twinkling away, like a sliver of a radiant sky had been sliced out and painted round his pupils. And then his hair cut short and messy, dark coffee and so, so soft. And then his chest… wow. I couldn't say much else.

I knew that I was falling hard for him, and I loved every bit of it. There's something about not being able to describe how you feel about someone. It takes my breath away. Like when he smiles at me or kisses me. Breath, sucked out of chest with a big whoosh. And normally that would make me feel like collapsing, screaming for oxygen, instead the air seems to glide under my feet and sweep me off the ground. Giddy is a good word. So is delirious. Delirious with love.

I thought about this happily as I walked up the final bit of the hilly forest, arriving at the bridge with a red face. Emily was there, swinging her legs, a small smile on her face. I could have sworn she'd washed her hair since I'd last seen her. And put on a little mascara. And foundation. I narrowed my eyes, confused. _Why would she do that to meet me?_

_Never mind_. I plonked myself down beside her with a big sigh. "What are you thinking about that's got you so smiley?" I grinned.

Her eyes glowed as she turned her heads toward me, shade and light intertwining in a delicate lacey pattern across her face. "You, of course." She smiled right back.

"Well, I am such a comedian; it's quite easy to see how people find me hilarious." I said with maximum sarcasm.

Despite that, she laughed, her eyes never leaving my face. Then she sighed with a big happy sound. "I thought about what you said for quite some time."

I immediately realized she meant my theory about Tanya being A. "Oh yes? And what did you conclude?"

She beamed, pushing a hand back against her loose hair, which was flicking around in the slight breeze. "I have concluded I definitely feel the same way."

I smiled. "That's great! I knew you would eventually." I teased.

She grinned again, but shyly this time, and I couldn't understand why. A sudden thought flashed through my brain. "But what about Tanya? Are you… over her?"

"Well, seeing as we were never dating, and I only like her because she looks like Ali, yep." Em said slowly. "Why? Jealous?"

"Oh, you know it." I chuckled, and for some reason it made her eyes shine like molten chocolate. "So… what do you want to do?" I asked, swinging my legs off the bridge next to hers.

A grin slowly took up her whole features. "I think you know what I want to do."

"Hmm… Talk about stuff?" I theorized.

"If you want to." Em said, becoming serious. "Go on. Talk."

"Hey, I talk enough. _Everyone_ knows that."

"I like it when you talk." Em suddenly said her eyes fixed straight onto mine, and full of curiosity, as in she wished to see the effect the compliment had on me.

I gazed back into hers, feeling myself blush from the compliment. I have a terrible habit of going red whenever someone compliments me about anything. "Thank you." I said softly.

Her eyes suddenly looked so full of deep emotion it was like everything was about to tumble out of her, and then she blinked and the emotion fell behind glass walls once again. "What do you want to talk about?" She asked.

I looked at her, bemused. "Are you all right? You looked like you were going to… lose it for a second."

She shook her head. "I'm fine. I'm just thinking." She said, and her hand suddenly took mine where it lay on the bridge. "Spence, I really don't want us to get screwed up because of this. We are great friends, and I love that, but if stuff happens, we might not be…"

I tilted my head slightly, knowing exactly what she was talking about. She was scared. Scared of what would happen if we set off on this great detective hunt once more. Scared we could all fall apart, hate each other, and lash out at one another due to all our pent-up stress and fear over A. I was scared of that too. Terrified of what I would ever do without my friends. Em's honesty, one of her best qualities, shone through.

I squeezed her hand. "Em, I'm scared of that too. There's no denying it could happen, but I don't ever think it will. If we do go along with this we're going to need each other more than ever and I really can't see anything going wrong with that. If anything happens in this it'll just bring us closer together. You know, we have an amazing friendship. And that's really all we need."

I could feel her relax next to me. "So no matter what happens, it won't be like, one of those messy break ups where everyone hates everyone and gossip spreads around the entire school that one of them has an STD? Which, I don't."

I laughed, appreciating her creative simile. "Lovely description. No, it'll never be like that. I don't really think that'll ever happen to be honest if we set off on this thing. And let's not think about things like that. It might… jinx it."

She nodded with total understanding. "That's true. Then what should we think about?"

"Think about how awesome life is going to be once we get Tanya, and everything's going to turn back to normal."

She smiled at me shyly again. "Life can be awesome before that, Spence. Think positive."

I grinned goofily, thinking of Toby. "Yeah. Life's pretty amazing at the moment." I said dreamily, thinking of his stunning eyes.

I suddenly realized she hadn't let go of my hand, but I didn't really care. Emily wanted to hold my hand? So be it. We stared down into the water of the brook which lazily drifted underneath us, and Em sighed happily. "I love you, Spence. You're such an amazing friend."

Her words, however random, touched me. "I love you too, Em. C'mere you big old sookie." I laughed, pulling her into another hug.

But her head paused midway, close to mine, and though my arms wrapped around her back tightly, and hers did the same, she stopped with her nose nearly pressed against mine. As our eyes met, mine slightly shocked, she looked nothing but elated. Her eyes closed slowly, and as I suddenly began putting two and two together with panic, her lips touched mine and I nearly had a spaz attack.

Her lips were so soft, and for about two seconds, that was all I could think. They tasted sweet, the traces of mango lipgloss still clinging to them. They were tender, gentle and caring, soft and shy. Just like Em's personality. My mouth instinctively opened, and she pressed a little harder, and all of a crazy, sudden instant I realized what the hell we were doing.

I leapt back, horrified, staring at her open mouthed. She opened her eyes, concern written all across her face. "What's wrong?"

"What's wrong? What, what, what isn't wrong? What… What the hell were you doing?"

Em scrunched up her eyebrows, now looking confused. "Um… kissing?"

"Since when is kissing me okay, Emily?"

I didn't mean for my tone to be that savage. I didn't mean to imply the absolute disgust in it. At least, I thought that when I saw the look of instant hurt on her face. "Since you texted me you wanted to make out? With a WINKY FACE?" Emily snapped, embarrassed and confused.

"What? I never did that!"

"Do you want me to go through my messages from you? Look!" Her tone was completely angry as she whipped out her phone, and switched it on.

She immediately popped up the most recent message- with "Spencer" listed under the contacts. "Look."

**I like you, Emily. A lot. Meet me at the Brook Bridge, in an hour. We can do whatever you want ;)**

**-Spencer**

"What? But you said you had to meet me at the Brook Bridge! And it was urgent!"

"Who told you that?" she retorted, her eyes flashing.

"But Melissa…" I trailed off, suddenly realizing in an overwhelming wave of horror. "Melissa had my phone and said you called me."

"I didn't! What… Why did she have your phone?"

Realization dawned on me. Not so much dawned. More like crashed into me like an out-of-control, speeding, race car. "She picked it up off the kitchen bench. And she must have sent you that text. To play a horrible, vicious prank on me."

I knew Em knew I was telling the truth. But she didn't look prepared to believe it. "Melissa sent me that? Not you?" She said, her voice becoming thick.

With no idea what else to say, "Yes." I simply replied.

"But all of the stuff we were just talking about… like, what would happen to us? I thought we were talking about… us getting together."

Her cheeks flamed red and her eyes shone with tears as she looked at me, desperately wanting to cling to something. And I smashed her back down. "I thought we were talking about trying to blame Tanya for A…"

Em's eyes dropped and I could tell she was absolutely gutted. "I think I'm gonna leave now." She said quietly, unhooking her legs from the bridge and standing up.

"Wait! Wait, Em, did that mean you… you like me?"

She slowly looked back at me, stare full of pain and anguish, and laughed bitterly. "Figure it out for yourself."

I watched her go, heart twisted in a horrible knot of guilt and fear. With a jolt I realized I'd become my own worst enemy. I had always solemnly sworn to kill whoever hurt any of my friends. Emily in particular. _Now look at me… _

**Hanna POV**

I'd been stuck at the table answering the cop's questions for over an hour now, and I was getting seriously sick of it. My mom bustled about getting soda, cookies, anything she could think of, like some demented hummingbird, while the cop guy just repeated the same questions over and over again.

"Where were you at the time of the assault?" He fired at me, seeming to ignore the fact he'd asked me this about five times over.

"I was round at my friend Aria's place. I can give you her address if you want." I bluffed confidence like a pro. _Damn, I should really be an actress when I'm older_.

"How did you learn about the assault?" _For the seventh time_.

"My friend Spencer texted me, like I've _told _you."

"Why did she text you?" _Oh. That one's new._

"Because Tanya is her half-sister."

My mom interrupted. "Spencer has a half-"

I turned to her with gritted teeth, and eyes which said "agree with everything I next say or I will kill you". "Yes, she does Mom, remember? Tanya?"

My mom saw the look and understood completely. "Oh yes. Tanya. What a charming girl. What a pity she got… assaulted."

The cop's eyes briefly flashed to her then back again. "Do you have any idea who the assaulter could be?"

I pretended to ponder for a couple of secs, and then shook my head confidently. "No. I have no idea. Sorry."

He eyeballed me. "You're sure you have _no _idea?"

I scowled. "What is it with you cops and saying that? It's like; I've already told you I have no idea who it is, so why the hell are you asking me that? Do you think I'll change my mind? Oh yes! Wait! I have a suspect… wait… it's coming to me… _Santa-freaking-Clause_!"

The cop gave me a filthy glare. "Well, I think that's enough. Thank you for your time."

My mom suddenly popped back out of the kitchen cupboard, a puzzled expression on her face. "Wait, why were you even asking Hanna this if she had nothing to do this with the first place?"

The cop regarded me, nodding with my arms triumphantly folded across my chest, and then my mom, with a box of Pop-Tarts in her hand for no apparent reason. "That's police business."

"It's our business if you come barging into our home, sir." Mom said. All polite.

Her approach worked, rather than my sudden and rather clever idea to tie him to the chair he was sitting in and make him watch Justin Bieber videos on loop until he eventually gave in. The cop stood up. "Drat, now we'll have to force him!" I said under my breath.

He looked puzzled, and then turned to my mom. "Mrs Marin, your daughter was anonymously named as a suspect in this case, and it's my job to investigate any suspects. Have a good day."

He strolled on out as I stared at him, wondering who could have named me. _Oh why am I even asking? Good try, A. _

Just as the door shut behind the cop, Spencer suddenly came bursting in, hair tangled, face slightly scratched, panting, and eyes damp. My mom looked a little bit shocked, and then recovered, posing as the-perfect-housewife-and-single-mom approach. "Spencer, lovely to see you, would you like some-"

Spencer gave me one desperate look and I immediately knew what we had on our hands here. "Thanks Mom but no, Spencer here has a little crisis we are going to sort upstairs, bye!" I beamed, standing up, shoving the chair under the table with my foot and scuttling up the stairs.

I grabbed Spencer's hand to pull her up behind me but for some odd reason she recoiled, snatching her hand back and clenching it into a fist. When we reached my bedroom, I shut the door quickly, and ran around the room snapping all the windows shut. "Talk!" I demanded.

Spencer looked suddenly so frail, small and alone on my bed, as she delicately sat down, staring at her hands. It was so unlike her I watched her cautiously, suddenly terrified of what might have happened. "I don't know where to begin." She said, sounding pathetic and tiny.

I closed the last window slowly, and went to sit beside her, trying to offer her what little comfort I could. She cupped her head in her hands, moaning. "I should never have- I didn't know that- and now its all- oh crap, _what am I going to do, _Hanna?"

"Maybe I can help if you tell me." I said, propping my chin up with my hand. "What's happened?"

Spencer peeked out from the spaces between her fingers. "Melissa stole my phone and texted Em, pretending to be me that I wanted to make out with her and I liked her." She said, her voice slow, filled with pain, but muffled.

"No way!" I gasped, horrified. "What did Em do?"

She pulled her hands down, looking distraught. "Kissed me. And told me she liked me."

I gaped, aghast. Anger coursed through me at Melissa. _No one ever hurts my friends and gets away with it. That's a promise. _ "Now this. This is a problem." I snarled, fantasizing painful deaths for Melissa to experience.

Spencer nodded, her eyes damp and glinting with the hint of tears. "I have no idea what to do."

"Well, I'm gonna do what I do best." I nodded determinedly. "Lead a hit squad to brutally kill Melissa in the most painful way possible."

Spence shook her head, not even cheered up by my valiant effort to create mental images of Melissa's gory death. "That won't do anything. What's going to happen between Emily and me? Like… everything's going to change." She said miserably.

I bit my lip, truly feeling the agony of the situation. "Well, you don't like her, do you?"

"No. And I wish, I truly wish-"Her voice cut off and became thick with tears. "I really wish, I just could, and she would be happy. But I'm not gay. No matter how hard I wish I could be now, I'm not, Jesus Christ." She broke off in tears, her shoulders rocking with it.

I felt protective and hugged her, and she hugged back, and we sat there on my bed while her tears streaked down my shoulder and she shook with the sheer wretchedness which coursed through her. _Coursed through her. Hey, I should be a poet. Poet slash actress. Coursed through her… like a … vodka shot. _

And that was when I had my completely genius idea. The second of the day. "Spence. Hey, Spence."

She didn't say anything, just sniffled. I pulled her away from my shoulder. "I had an idea how you can solve this."

She gave me a curious look, sniffing and wiping her red-rimmed eyes. I smiled encouragingly. "Let's get insanely drunk."

"That's your solution to everything." She said, without a hint of humour in her voice.

"No! Listen, get drunk, and then go round to Emily's house. Or get her to come here. And then do whatever you want in your drunken state and then wake up in the morning and consider how it went. Genius or what?"

Spencer sat looking at me for a couple of seconds, and I could see cogs twirling within her brain. Finally, she bit her lip, the only action of movement she'd done. "Well?" I asked.

She sighed, wiping her eyes delicately. "It's foolish, and irresponsible, and thoughtless, and rash and-"

"Is that a yes or a no?" I cut her off, knowing she would get bogged down in the words she spat.

"It's the only option I've got. So yes. Yes Hanna, how do you propose to get me insanely drunk?"

I grinned and chuckled evilly. "Oh, I'm so glad you asked that question, Spencer."

She looked worried and tense but I knew after a couple of shots of what I had, she'd be relaxing and slobbing out. It was dangerous stuff- imported from Mexico, Sierra Silver Tequila. The label advertised "is likely to cause spontaneous awesome, bouts of a sexy Mexican accent, and chronic sex parties." _Just what Spencer needs. _

I looked around furtively, and then walked over to an ornate Chinese vase on my dresser. Carefully, I removed the flowers I had innocently stuffed in there, and whipped out the bottle. It even came with a little red Mexican sombrero on the top. "Care for some tequila?"

Spence shook her head as I took out some shot glasses. "Just how potent is this stuff? I don't want my stomach lining to disintegrate."

"Mmm, it's exactly half alcohol. You just need a little to get completely wasted. So I'd say your stomach lining is in the hands of Nacho Libre if you down this stuff."

She looked confused. "Nacho Libre? That means… free nachos."

"Does it?"

"What did you think it was, dare I ask?"

"…Some kind of Mexican God. I heard it in a movie somewhere."

"Dear Lord, Hanna."

"Shut up and take your shot like a good girl."

She stuck her tongue out, taking the translucent shot and downing it in one. She immediately coughed and her eyes watered, still managing to swallow. "Oh my God, that stuff is nasty!" She hollered, choking as her throat burnt.

I tipped the shot up, swallowing it with ease. I was practiced in the art of taking them now. Caleb had brought this stuff up for me from one of his many travels and taught me how exactly to swallow it so it didn't burn, more pleasantly warned. "It is pretty nasty the first time. C'mon. Have another."

Spencer's eyes were wide as she cautiously swallowed the next, spluttering slightly but forcing herself to swallow. As I waited, eager to see the effect it had on her, she coughed a tiny bit then raised her eyebrows. "One more for luck?" She said, cocky now.

**Spencer POV**

I suddenly grinned, giddy. I could feel blood rising to my cheeks and my fingers tingling after my third. "How much alcohol was in that one shot, Hanna Banana?"

She grinned back. "Not sure. Want one more for just another hit? It's better if you down them all quickly. There's a faster effect, so I've heard from many Mexicans."

"Since when were you fraternizing with Mexicans?"

"Since they began giving me tequila and teaching me the magical words of the Nacho Libre God."

"And what are those words?" I giggled, feeling suddenly self-assured.

"The Commandment Numero Uno." She said, sounding dramatic. "Thou shalt get as wasted as possible cause that's how Mexicans do it."

"Commandment Numero Dos?"

"Tacos are nice. Eat them often. Or not, cause if you do, Ali will teach you to swill the vodka down your throat to make you throw up."

I tilted my head, giving Hanna a sad expression, and then my attention span suddenly snapped. Like I suddenly needed more involvement instantly, completely couldn't care less about what Hanna said. _Wow, weird. _"And Commandment Numero Tres is that alcohol is good tool to get people to do silly things and then completely forget about them. Use it wisely." I slurred a teensy bit.

"Precisely!" Hanna laughed. "Feeling the lovely buzz?"

"Buzzy like a buzzy bee."

"BUZZY BEES DON'T BUZZ THEY FLY YOU DUMBASS!"

For some reason I found this incredibly amusing. "We're soaaaarriiinggg, flyiiiing!" I warbled, horribly off-key.

Hanna grabbed her hairbrush, acting a microphone. "There's not a star in Heaven that we can't reach…"

"If we're tryiiiinnngggg…" I strained my voice, alcohol auto-tuning it to make it sound like God's gift to singing.

"COZ I'M SEXY AND I KNOW IT!" She boomed.

I tittered, clapping my hands. "Wiggle wiggly wiggle!"

Hanna began dancing frantically, each move making me crack up more and more, until she was pretending to chat up a pillow with pelvic thrusts included, and I was comatose on the bed with drunken hysterics. "MY TURN!" I shrieked.

"Get your own pillow." Hanna said, huffily. "This one's mine. It has my grind print on it."

"But I want that pillow!" I whinged.

"NOOOOOOOOO DON'T TAKE THE PILLOW HE IS MY ONE TRUE LOVE!"

I attempted to tug it out of her hands, and we wrestled over it for a couple of minutes, alcohol slowly sinking into my brain until my limbs felt energized and fluid, yet my brain felt like it was slightly out of connection with the world. "Hanna." I moaned. "Those shots are insane. I only took three and I feel like I've had a tonne of beer."

"Leave it to the Mexicans, honey." She said in a patronizing voice. "They are the _gods _of tequila."

I lay on the floor for a couple of seconds, wondering whether I could launch an ambush pillow assault, and then she suddenly shoved me. "Get going. Emily's home alone tonight- her mom's out of town on that big work do. Go turn up at her door and say whatever the hell you want. Have fun."

I grinned madly, wildly excited at this prospect which used to terrify me. The thought was comical to me. Then again, now all things were comical to me. "This is all new, Han. Sexual experimentation and all of that. I should be taking notes."

"I don't think you can grip a pen in the state you're in. Go have fun. I'll call Caleb over." She hinted, assuring I would leave the house.

"Oh dear God. I AM GONE!" I announced loudly, standing up and stumbling my way down Hanna's stairs. Her mom wasn't in the kitchen so I didn't have to bid goodbye to her- a good thing, otherwise she would have realized I was completely intoxicated, and possibly forbidden me from going out.

Em's house was just down a couple of blocks from Hanna's, and was easy enough to get to, despite my drunkenness. I just hid my head in my hoodie and made no eye contact with anyone. And then suddenly I was walking up Emily's stairs, knocking on her doorbell and grinning crazily with anticipation.

**Okay, won't update for a while. I'm really meant to be studying for my History exams. But I thought I'd leave you guys on a cliffhanger! Haha thanks for reviewing, I am taking your suggestions completely into account. More Tanya in next chapter, as maybe Toby/Ezra/possibly even Lucas? Happy 11/11/11! xx**


	8. Just Hanging Out On a Swing

**Emily POV**

I lay on my comfy black leather sofa, listening to the fire crackle in a comfortable silence. Music played softly from an iPod hooked up just above the mantelpiece. I was randomly playing with a furry white pillow, picking bits of fluff out of it. The fire was the only light in the room, and the last of the sunshine was fading out of the large window across the room, a stunning sunset with pink and orange masterfully streaked together. It had been a long, and very painful, day.

The song on the iPod stopped, switching to a new track, this one with gentle piano. I propped myself up with one elbow, looking down at the girl sitting on the floor below me, reading a book. "What's this one called?"

She turned her head towards me, revealing deep brown eyes, spiky eyelashes, coffee skin and a complacent smile. "Mad World. It's such a pretty song. Do you like it?"

I listened for a couple of seconds. "It's depressing." I complained.

"It is not!" She scowled, tantrum-like. "You just don't appreciate beauty, Emily Fields."

I looked at her and smiled softly. "I appreciate you, Maya St. Germain." I murmured, knowing the exact affect it would have on her.

She smiled and shook her head, flicking my nose slightly. "You shush. I have to read up to chapter nine in this for homework, and I need to focus."

I leant down, tipping the book she was reading's cover towards me. "_Lord of the Flies_. What's that about?"

"Well, far as I can tell there's a bunch of boys who are on a plane. It crashes onto an island and they all go crazy. The End. And I'm supposed to find all this deep meaning stuff out of it."

"You should ask my friend Aria. She's good with that kind of stuff."

"I will, but can you help me with this quote? Right here. Supposed to mean something. It says-"

Her voice was cut off by the loud knock on the door. I sat up, swung my legs off the sofa and trotted to the door. "Be _right _back."

As I glanced through the eyehole, I saw Spencer. Standing out there. On my porch. Like she had every right in the world to be. I gasped, and immediately felt my heart speed up, then mentally lectured myself. _STOP THAT! YOU CAN'T DO THAT!_

Maya stood up behind me. "What's up? Who's there?"

I turned around, panicked. "It's Spencer."

I'd already told her about what had happened, and she nodded wisely. "She wants to talk to you."

"Well I don't want to talk to her!" I yelled.

"Yes you do." Maya said, searching my face intensely. "You really want to, and need to. I'll go. See you later."

"Maya, wait, Maya, I need you to-"

"What you need is to do this on your own, Emily. I'm not your babysitter." She said, stepping out my back door, with a little wave.

I'd invited her round after spending half an hour in my room crying about Spencer. She'd hugged me. Told me everything was going to be okay. Gave me advice on how to get over crushes. And apart from a little making out, she'd done exactly what any normal friend would have done. _Is that how I view her now? Just a normal friend? Argh… Why do none of my relationships ever work out?_

I bit my lip, looking at Spencer still standing outside, a hood over her head but still unmistakeably her. As I watched, she flipped the hood off with a clumsy hand manoeuvre, and looked around outside, rubbing her hands at the cold. It was freezing outside. And with that reasoning- pity- I opened the door.

"Emilyyyy!" She said happily, immediately jumping forward and hugging me.

I jumped at first, as she wrapped her arms around my back, nuzzling her head into my shoulder. Then I gingerly held her, trying as hard as possible to act normal while she was busy making my palms damp, my head spin and my teeth clench with anxiety. "H-hey Spence…"

She pulled away, a small smile on her face. "Em, I love you, and that's not gonna change. No matter what."

Her words seemed to sink deep within me, to some dark place which I'd left alone many years ago. I felt bittersweet. Happy I hadn't screwed things up between us. More relieved. But at the same time, I wished to have her so badly that it was almost agonizing. "T-thanks Spence. I appreciate it."

"But the kiss, the kiss was nice. Did you know you're a good kisser? Well. You do now. And your mango lipgloss is very nice. Just letting you know."

For some weird reason I was blushing and I was furious at myself for doing so. _Damn, damn, stupid cheeks! _"Uh… Thank you?"

"You're welcome." She grinned, and at that moment I realized I could smell the stench of spicy liquor reeking off her.

"Spence… are you drunk?"

Her eyes grew wide and she shakily pressed a finger to her lips. "Ssh. It's a secret. Can you keep it?"

I frowned. "Why are you even here? Drunk, and acting weird, and wearing a hoodie. It's not exactly your style. More like an insane hobo's style."

She scowled. "I'm here because we need, we need to talk!" She said doggedly, crossing over to the sofa and flopping down on it.

"And what do we need to talk about? It seems fairly simple to me. I got duped into believing you like me. You don't. Sorry about it."

"I don't like you." She said, screwing up her face. "I loooooove you."

"You know what I mean, Spence."

I sat gingerly down on the sofa next to her, daring to put a hand on her back as she spread herself out. "Look. You need to sleep this off, and not do anything stupid. You can crash here for the night if you want. I'll text Melissa or whatever. Not that she'll care."

Spencer snuggled into the pillow. "No, no, no, Emmeline Pankhurst. I wanna do stupid things."

I smiled at her name for me- historical and jokey, something she'd come up with ages ago. "Spencer the Tank Engine." I laughed.

That was my name for her- something I'd remembered off my old Thomas the Tank Engine videos that I watched again and again when I was little. Spencer, I'd miraculously remembered, was the sleekest, fastest engine, yet his pride was often his downfall. But Spencer didn't need to know that. I doubt she has any idea what Thomas the Tank Engine is to be honest. She was a more Nat. Geo Kids kind of a girl.

She giggled and turned over; shading her eyes with her hand despite the fact it was a normally lit room. "Em."

"What?"

She stared at me for a little while, as if taking a couple of seconds to recollect her thoughts. "Why are you so pretty? Seriously. Go and de-pretty yourself. Please. Or wear a paper bag. It's very distracting for little-Asian-eyes over here. Bleh."

I blushed again. _Seriously, CUT THAT OUT, FACE! _"You don't have Asian eyes."

"Uhg, yes I do, look at them they are so squinty-"

"You don't. You're gorgeous."

It came out stronger than I intended, and her eyes focused clearly onto my face, despite her drunken haze. "The insane hobo looks gorgeous?"

"The insane hobo always looks gorgeous. No matter what. It's crazy like that." I whispered, not taking my eyes off her as she lay on the couch, her feet brushing my thighs.

"You are too nice."

"You can never be too nice. I make a living out of it."

"A very pretty living." She said with satisfaction, alcohol making her slur slightly.

I smiled and reached for a warm black fur blanket, pulling it over her. "Goodnight, Spencer."

"No! I don't-want-to-sleep! I want to PARTY!"

"Have fun partying on your own; I'm going to sleep upstairs."

"Why aren't I allowed upstairs with you?" She whinged.

"Because you're drunk."

"But, Emily, wait! I have something to tell you!"

I sat back down, rolling my eyes, while secretly loving her suddenly enthusiastic and happy, if drunken, mood. "What is it?"

She sat up. "Promise not to tell anyone. It's a secret."

"Of course, of course." I nodded, intrigued.

Her face was dangerously close to mine I suddenly realized, and she seemed to realize too. "Em…" she trailed off, eyes locked onto mine, and for some reason I couldn't stop staring back.

Then she moved her head that extra inch closer, tilted her head that extra angle further, closed her eyes that extra millimetre more, and she kissed me.

Have you ever kissed someone, and all your conscious thoughts just fade clean away? Like, you stop thinking normal things. _When's my History assignment due? I wonder if Lucas will be at school tomorrow, he was sick last week, Hanna seemed kind of sad. Ugh, my Mom is driving me crazy again. Swimming was so much fun today, I hope it impressed Coach!_

All of that. Fades clean out of your head, obliterated, like a sudden explosion of correction fluid in the middle of your brain. And in replace of those thoughts come a sudden sea of deep emotional ones. _Damn, they're a good kisser. I wonder if I'm doing this right. Should I open my mouth any time soon? Where should I put my hands? Wonder if anyone else has ever felt this way with them. _

Kissing Spencer was like that. No thoughts, just blind bottomless feelings that I could occasionally attach labels to as they soared through me. The need for oxygen became irrelevant. I kissed back, as her hands slowly snuck around my neck. My hands ran through her hair and I smiled through the kiss as I realized how perfectly conditioned and combed it was. _As ever_.

She suddenly bit down on my lower lip, surprising me, and I moaned softly. And abruptly a grain of common sense suddenly tumbled back down into my brain, forcing me to act. I pulled away again, trying to breathe again. She looked surprised.

Then the grain of common sense evaporated as my brain flooded with feelings of how cute she looked when she was surprised, and I leant back in and we kissed, and kissed, and kissed. My heart thumped and I could feel pressure in my wrists as blood pumped through my arteries faster than ever. I floated off into another world, where there was just Spencer and I. No one else, high up above the ground, feet flying through the sky.

And for some reason, I had no objection to kissing her at all, even though her breath smelt like spicy tequila, and I knew she didn't like me back. I knew this was dangerous. But somehow I didn't care. I was setting myself up for a fall. And I liked it.

She pulled away, a sleepy smile on her face. "Emmeline Pankhurst, you are a good kisser."

"As are you, Spencer the Tank Engine."

She grinned, and closed her eyes, and before I knew it she was snoring softly. And then my phone, sitting on the coffee table nearby, vibrated. I pulled the blanket over her, and grabbed the phone, feeling fuzzy and bubbly inside, like I'd gotten drunk off the liquor traces in Spencer's mouth.

**I'm sure Toby wouldn't want to see this…**

**-A**

It felt like someone had suddenly punched me in the heart.

It felt like someone had suddenly punched me in the heart. I coughed, horror sinking deep within the pit of my stomach. There was an image attached, and as I stabbed it with my finger, it opened up an image of Spencer and I, sitting on the couch, kissing. _Damn. Did it look that hot?_

_Shut up brain!_ I mentally ordered for about the fifth time that day. The picture was dark, so no flash. And it was from a straight on angle… I whipped around to see the large widow-seat style window, bordered with velvet curtains, directly opposite the couch. It was large, facing out onto the street, with the porch directly below it. _A must have been there. Only about a minute ago_.

And without thinking, I ran towards the door, swung it open, and sprinted bare-footed out onto the porch. It was quiet outside, darkness painting the street, and becoming steadily eerie with the prospect of threat lurking. I stared all around, waiting for some sign, my heart practically doing jump jam inside my chest.

Lights suddenly flickered on over at someone's house and I jumped with surprise. It was some elderly people across the street, harmless old folks who had about seven cats. Then suddenly my brain clicked together in a horrifyingly clear realization. _They have a porch motion light out on their porch…_

I ran for my life down the porch, my eyes scanning the full porch for any sign of movement. And as I watched, a shadowy black figure bolted across the porch, diving down the side of the house, heading for the backyard. Before I knew it I'd dashed across the street, pulled myself over the fence, and it was then my brain grasped the fact I had no weapon. As I felt the damp dew on the old people's lawn, I glimpsed a small metal rake off to the left of my path, and snatched it out of the ground as I desperately chased after A.

The path through to the backyard was only blocked by a couple of rubbish bins, and I easily ducked around them as I sprinted as fast as I possibly could. I raced into a normal-looking backyard, and my head did a full 180 as I saw the shadowy figure hoist itself over the fence into another backyard with ease. The rake in hand, I put on a spurt, and leaped towards the fence, scrambling up it as fast as I could. A scream startled me, and I realized that the old couple were still in the house, watching me with horror from a window as I climbed over their fence looking suitably bloodthirsty.

But I had no time to think of that. I landed softly and immediately began running again, seeing A launch himself (herself?) lightly into a large oak tree opposite the fence, and began to swing themselves up. I scrambled towards the tree, my fingers tearing into the bark for handholds, and screamed without even being aware of it. "COME-BACK-HERE-AND-FIGHT-ME-YOU-COWARD!"

A had now climbed onto a bough, and stood there for a while, gazing down at me while I desperately struggled to shimmy up the thick trunk. I noticed how they were clothed all in black, not a patch of skin showing, in tight lycra-like clothing, topped with a large black motorcycle helmet with a hood pulled over the top. It looked like a paintball or a motor cross outfit. Despite the fact I couldn't see their face, I had a feeling they were smirking. With a yell of desperation I pulled myself onto a bough, and then realized at the last minute there was a kid's swing hanging off it.

A had somehow grabbed the swing while clambering up, and managed to pull it up with themselves, until they were on the bough above me, twisting it and cleverly snaring the rope from it around my foot as I'd tried to get up. They held the swing in two hands, standing to my left above me, the rope looped around my foot. As I watched, panic silencing me, they gave the swing a final twist for good luck, held it high above my head, and jumped off the bough with it still in their hands.

I shrieked as the rope moved, and tried to grab something but I couldn't. I fell down towards the ground, and then came to a painful, snapping, sudden, rope-burned stop as the hook around my foot stopped me. But the pressure on my foot was too much to take. I heard a disgustingly clear popping sound, and sudden burning pain enveloped my ankle, causing hot tears to drip down my face while I screamed in agony. The pain was unbearable- like hot coals being held to my ankle. I was hanging ungracefully upside down, my foot caught in a vicious knot in the swing, crying my eyes out while A stood there, the smug… there are no swear words bad enough to describe how I felt towards A at that moment.

And carefully, slowly, as if they were enjoying every moment of my pain, A took out a camera, and took a flash picture of me hanging upside down. Then they had the cheek to wave goodbye as I yelped in torment. I swung slightly, every little movement putting more and more pressure on my ankle, which felt like it was now being fed through a meat grinder. My fingers brushed against the grass as I yelled for help, for all I was worth.

My rescue came all too late. A porky, balding man dashed out of his house, his wife following close behind, looking for the entire world like they'd just jumped out of bed. I screamed at them, sobbing at the same time. "HELP! OH-MY-GOD-MY-FOOT!"

The bald guy yelled to his wife to go grab "the industrial scissors" as I felt warm wet liquid seep up my trouser leg, which I knew, could only be blood. _Despite what Hanna may think_, I thought, trying to calm myself down. The guy grabbed my body and lifted me into a straight position, releasing the pressure on my ankle, and causing me to gasp with relief, but not for long. The pain returned with an intense, mind-blowing pressure that made me scream even louder.

The last thing I heard was the guy bellow "HOLY SHEEEEEEET!" as he witnessed my popped ankle, which by now, had become cut off from all oxygen due to the rope, and had swollen to twice its original size, with blood soaking my leg from the angle of the fall. And then I passed out.

**Lucas POV**

My mom came running back into the lounge, looking completely panicked. "Lucas! Where's the industrial scissors?" She screamed.

I knew she'd gone with Dad to go investigate the screaming from our yard, but I had no idea why she'd need the industrial scissors, which were big bulky shears which Dad used to prune the hedges. I dashed downstairs into the basement, finding them in an upstairs shelf, and ran back upstairs. "Why do you need them?" I gasped. _Too much running. Not good._

She said nothing, just ran outside, as the screaming suddenly petered out. I followed her close behind, and in no way prepared for what I saw next. Emily Fields, one of Hanna's friends, one of the only people who I knew to be gay in my school, was hanging upside down from my little brother's swing, the rope twisted around her foot. Oh, and her foot pointing the wrong way. Dad was trying to lever her out of it, and as Mom passed him the shears, he sliced the rope off her foot. "Lucas! Help me take her!" He barked.

I ran forward, Dad supporting her top half, and I gently cradled her legs, while getting a full up-close on the injury done to her foot. It was swollen beyond belief, with blood dripping down it, and pointing downwards rather than upwards. I shuddered as we manoeuvred her into our house, and gently laid her down on our couch. Mom was already phoning an ambulance.

"What happened?" I hollered, grabbing a bunch of ice out of the fridge and wrapping it in a teacloth, then pressing it around her ankle.

Dad looked ashen. "She couldn't have done that to herself. It looked like she'd chased someone up into our tree, and they'd flipped her with the swing. Bloody unbelievable. Do you know her?"

I nodded. "She goes to my school."

"Thank God. Okay, you know her name? Stay with her, talk to her, while I try and find some bandages to mop up the blood."

"Okay."

I sat by her, noticing her face was mottled with many tears, and her mouth was twisted in agony. _She must have been in so much pain_. I grabbed her limp hand, squeezed it, and was unsure what to do next. "Uh… Emily? You probably can't hear me. It's Lucas, you were in my backyard. The ambulance is coming _soon_. You're gonna be okay. I don't know what you were doing, nor what happened to you, but you're gonna be in the hospital soon, and it'll be okay."

She didn't make a move so I continued talking. "I'll phone Hanna now and let her know what's happened. The ambulance is coming soon. You must be in a lot of pain, but it's going to be okay, help's on the way. Your foot isn't too good, but they'll fix it up, don't worry. Everything's going to be fine, Emily." I said, trying to sound reassuring.

My little brother appeared behind me. "Oh my gosh! Who is she? What happened to her foot?" He gasped, pointing to Emily's obviously injured ankle.

"She got her foot caught in your swing, Tommy. Her name's Emily."

"How come you know a girl's name, Lucas?" He said, suspicion crossing his face, little brown eyes screwed up.

_You know you're a fail at life when even your brother knows you don't know any girls_. "She goes to school with me."

"Is she your girlfriend? She's mighty pretty."

I almost said "she is, isn't she?" but stopped myself just in time. "No, she isn't my girlfriend."

"Oh. I thought not."

"Thanks a bunch Tommy." I said sarcastically. "When's the ambulance coming? She hasn't stirred, I'm worried."

My mom came bustling in, opening her mouth as suddenly medics poured through our open door, with a stretcher in tow. Without even a word they lifted Emily onto the stretcher, and marched straight out again.

_I hope she's gonna be okay…_

**RIGHT! Hope that satisfies you! Sorry I've had insane exams all week… and one tomorrow… when I should have been studying instead of WRITING THIS. Hmmph. You people are pushy :P but I love ya! Thanks so much for your reviews, they make my day. And it's another cliffhanger I'm afraid. Sorry! Hehe **


	9. NO ONE CARES ABOUT YOUR BOOBS ARIA GEEZ

**Spencer POV**

I woke up from a very, very long sleep. At least, it felt like that. As soon as I woke up, I was groaning. It felt exactly like I'd been smacked on the back of a head with a baseball bat, and I was just recovering from the brain concussion. _All the brain cells lost_, I mused. _Important brain cells! I need those for my exams! Goddamn it Spencer! _

I winced as I opened my eyes, colours flashing far too brightly. I could barely move apart from that. The roof I faced seemed to spin as I moaned, my vocal chords clogged with mucus which tasted like beer. _Never, ever, ever, ever doing that again. _

A headache split my head down the middle of my skull like a lightning bolt and my teeth sunk into my lip to stop me from screaming. I was seriously dizzy and having difficulty remembering what had happened last night. As my eyeballs blinked they felt like they'd been bathed in acid, whereas my throat craved water.

It took an eternity for me to sit up, and then I collapsed straight over again, dizziness overwhelming me and seeming to drive me magnet-like into the couch. I lay there for a while, massaging my temples with my shaking hands. _What happened, what happened, what happened? Think brain cells! THINK!_

An image slowly swam out of the murky depths of my brain, my mental fingers luring it in. It was like a scene from a movie, replaying over and over again. Em's face as she smiled at me, teasing me, her eyes glowing, her hair loose and falling across her shoulder, her adorable little crooked dimple as one side of her grin perked up more than the other. "Spencer the Tank Engine." She giggled.

That was her name for me, though I wasn't sure where she'd come up with it. I'd always theorized a "Tank Engine" was like a macho guy on those WWE shows that I never watch, purely because I can't think of anything more stupid in our modern day society. Apart from that lady who chucked a cat in a rubbish bin. Now that was just… words cannot describe my fury.

But Emily calling me that? Dumb as it sounded, I didn't mind. It made her laugh, and it made me laugh, and it was cute. Did I mind she thought I was a "Tank Engine" i.e. macho muscly guy with a creepy moustache (Hulk Hogan…)? I'll get back to you on that one.

Some of the dizziness faded as I lay on the couch for a while with my eyes closed, trying to recollect what had happened. I was just getting bits and pieces from my struggling memory. Little things I'd remembered. _Lying on Emily's couch. Teasing and giggling like it was just the funniest thing in the world. And falling asleep with Emily watching me._

That was it so far and I was tempted to bang my head against a wall. I wondered where Emily was, and then theorized she was still sleeping. I tried to close my eyes. And then suddenly I got the image I was not expecting at all. An up-close of Emily's face, her sweet smile, and watching her eyes close slowly and lean in against my face. And I was okay with this. _Jesus Christ_. _I was DRUNK. What have I done?_

It's not that I didn't love Em. She was the closest friend I had. But think of her in… that way? My brain struggled to comprehend it. I'd never, ever thought of anything like that before. My usually clear emotions were now a thick haze inside me that I was attempting and failing to prise apart from one another into understandable, neatly boxed and packaged feelings with logical reasons behind them. _And this is probably caused by the hangover, _I noted.

I managed to sit up this time but immediately held my head in my hands until the raging pain of the headache became manageable. My phone vibrated loudly in my pocket and I opened a bleary eye, thrusting a hand into my hoodie until I found it.

**Looks like Emily's gotten herself in some trouble while you've been boozed up…**

**-xoxo A**

Everything suddenly came into focus as icy adrenalin immediately chugged through my veins. Any threat of my friends in danger did that to me now. A had changed our lifestyles completely- from normal kids who might get a bit scared, to a bunch of panicked psychopaths who get one missed call from a friend and immediately suspect a crazed murderer has taken them.

There was a picture included, and I fearfully selected it. Emily came up on my screen. But not a normal picture of Emily- Emily hanging upside down from a yellow rope twisted around her foot. I almost screamed when I saw how her foot was practically pointing backwards. Her face was turned towards the camera, tears streaking out of her eyes and her mouth warped in agony. She looked in utter torture, arms spread out like she was attempting to fly. I stood up, dizziness dragging me this way and that, but staggered into Emily's kitchen, where I promptly grabbed her sink and vomited until I was gasping for breath, throat burning.

The picture sickened me beyond belief, and as I held onto the sink for support, I knew I had to move. My shoes were still on, and I was clothed, so I walked out of the door, with no real idea where I was going. I fell down onto her front porch as soon as I made it out, feeling like I needed to puke again, when a loud car horn shattered my trance of self-pity.

Aria's car had miraculously pulled up outside, and I swear I had never been happier to see that black squat vehicle in all of my life. She rolled down the window, staring at me in utter horror. "Spence… Are you okay?"

Her comments somehow aggravated me. This was like PMS, but about ten times worse. "No, Aria, I'm lying on the porch trying to puke because this is what I love to do for fun. Come join me? We can have a _spiffing _time."

She cut the engine and opened the car door, hurrying towards me. "Come on, I'll help. Hanna warned me you'd be quite hungover. I've got pain killers in the car."

I suggested Hanna could do something quite anatomically inappropriate with herself for getting me into this mess, and Aria shook her head. "No, Spence, she's got Caleb for that."

"As you've got the paedophile."

"As I've got Ezra. Kindly do not call him that."

"But he is! He's got the official Pedobear stamp of approval."

"… What stamp of approval?"

"Pedobear. I bet he locks himself in his room for hours on end singing to himself "I, I, I love little girls, they make me feel so good, I love little girls, they make me feel so-"

Aria opened the door and despite her height managed to bundle me into the front seat. "What was our rule about singing that in public? I told you guys last time!" She whined.

I frowned, and stuck my tongue out at her. Then an image of Emily's hanging form flashed before my eyes and my teasing mood turned to panic. "Oh my god Aria, I got a text from A and it had a picture of Em-"

"Yeah. I know. We all got that text. She's okay. She's at the hospital but she's lost a heck of a lot of blood. And her ankle's dislocated and snapped in some places. She can't swim anymore."

Relief suddenly seeped through me and I leant back into the seat and sighed with the release from painful panic. "What was she doing? How did that happen to her though?"

"She told us she'd been chasing A. Apparently A sent her a picture which could only have been taken from the side of her house so she managed to find A, chase him or her over a couple of backyards until A climbed up a tree. She followed but A managed to snare some kind of swing around her ankle and took that… unpleasant picture."

I nodded. It was exactly the kind of thing A would do, and I shuddered at the thought of all the pain Emily had gone through. "What… was in the picture?"

"She didn't say. Though it was something bad. We could tell that much."

I sat there thinking for a while, memories slowly returning to me, and then it struck me. _Oh my GOD_. A had taken a picture of us kissing. Possibly threatened to send it to people knowing A. And Emily, poor, brave, beautiful Emily had fought to find him, and ended up becoming hurt. "Oh that silly, courageous girl." I said out loud without realizing.

Aria nodded. "She's braver than any of us, you know?"

I raised my eyebrow. "I know she's braver than me for sure. You and Hanna? I'm not too convinced."

"Believe me when I say this. All the hardship I've ever gone through is my mum and dad divorcing. And now they're back together, so, happy families. And I was _so _not brave during that. You know how many times I snuffled into Ezra's shoulder or broke down by myself?"

I shook my head and she continued. "A hell of a lot. Sometimes I couldn't go a day without breaking down. Ezra must have thought I had mental problems. And Hanna, Hanna too. I don't want to be nasty to her but I can't count the number of times she's cried to me. Over her parents, or that eating disorder Ali manipulated her into having, or Sean, or people's secrets. She does cry a lot and it's true, she's strong too."

"Very strong." I added, nodding.

"But Emily? Damn, she is brave. She told _no one _about her being gay. She told _no one _about her loving Alison. And she told _no one _about how she felt when Ali died. I would never be able to do that. I'm so open with my feelings I'd explode if I couldn't say anything. You know the same would happen to you or Hanna. But Em? She keeps everything all bottled up inside her. I have _never _seen her cry."

I looked more deeply at her, fully understanding. "Well, maybe we should let her un-bottle something. Once in a while. She needs someone to un-bottle stuff with. Let her emotions free and loose and all of that."

Aria swung a left and sighed. "I don't know. Maybe that's the side her girlfriends see, or whatever."

_Good way to guilt trip me, Aria. Thanks a bunch._ "Maybe." I managed, before staring out the window aimlessly. _Cue the sad music and raindrops. _

"So, why were you even drunk?" She questioned, about ten minutes later.

I sighed. "Hanna and I decided to be stupid. It was dumb. I shouldn't have done it." I said, thinking of the kiss and resisting the urge to slap myself in the face several times.

"Oh, she's got that really strong tequila stuff, right? From experience, do not _ever _try it again. Practically rots your brain the next day. I don't know how she survives."

"She doesn't have that much brain to rot." I said, absent mindedly.

"That's _so _mean! Don't say that!" She immediately fought back for Hanna, despite her not even being in the car.

I smiled. "I was kidding. You and Hanna are such bosom buddies. If anyone either insults you or her, the latter will hunt them down and kill them."

As she pulled into the parking lot of the hospital, for the second time in two days, I could see a quizzical expression immediately cross her face. "What are… bosom buddies?"

I really did smack my head this time. "Bosom?"

When her face remained clueless I sighed with annoyance that no one could understand what I was saying anymore. It was not as if I was conversing in unintelligible terminology! "Bosom! Boobs. Breasts, tits, jugs? Contained in your over the shoulder boulder holder."

Her face cleared. "Ohhhh. Makes sense. So we are boobs buddies?"

"Like as in you're very… very close friends."

"And not as if we have similar boobs?"

I shot a disgusted look in her direction. "Why would you think that?"

"That's what it sounded like. Not that you've been noticing…"

"Yes, Aria, because I love to check out your boobs. They are really great. And because I love to check out Hanna's too I must remark they are very similar. Congratulations."

Sarcasm absolutely dripped from my tongue, but Aria still didn't get it. "Seriously?" she asked, in a tone of horrified curiosity.

"NO! For God's sake! Why does everyone think I'm gay all of a sudden? I'M NOT!"

"Was just asking." She huffed.

We got out of the car, me rolling my eyes and striding ahead on my great long legs. She quickly caught up to me, however, trotting away a foot or so below me. "But honestly, do you think we do?"

"ARIA! I WOULDN'T KNOW!"

She scowled. "Hmph. Maybe I'll ask Emily."

"And why do you think she's been checking out your boobs?"

"Cause mine and Hanna's boobs are absolutely fantastic and so are very hard not to be noticed."

"Oh brother." I groaned, and just walked into the hospital shaking my head resignedly.

We managed to avoid even the moustachioed nurse on our way up, Aria leading me towards Emily's ward like she'd been there a million times before. Have I ever said Aria's got one of the most amazing memories ever? She can remember _everything _about me, Hanna, Emily or Ezra. It's quite spooky. Especially when we're on sleepovers and she brings back embarrassing moments from the past. For example, I had completely forgotten about the time I was in the school drama production _Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, _until she brought it up. And the fact I'd backhanded someone across the face with my toy miner's pick. Em had laughed so hard she'd collapsed off the bed. However, she wasn't so cheerful when Aria reminded her about the time she'd stole a Nutella sandwich. This wouldn't have been so bad, until Aria added the crucial point that it was from the teacher's lunchbox. _Em does love her Nutella. _

I tentatively walked into the ward when the nurse let us through, as Aria strolled in and banged the door open with a casual grin on her face. I was wondering what the hell I was going to say to Emily. _Hey, sorry about being drunk last night, guess I'm just going to break your heart when I say that I'm not gay? Terribly apologetic about leading you on, I guess I'm just a horrible flirt! *cue laugh track from cheesy audience in background*_

And as I imagined that, there she was, lying in the hospital sheets with her foot encased in pink plaster sticking out amongst them. She looked tired but alive, and I felt a sudden rush of unusually strong relief that she was. As she saw me, her conversation with Hanna who was sitting nearby ground to an abrupt halt. I watched her eyes and could have sworn I saw a flash of fear dart through them. _Do I make her afraid?_

Hanna cleared her throat loudly and took Aria by the arm. "Come on, Muso, we need to leave these two to some private conversations."

Muso is Hanna's pet name for Aria. You see, because aria's like a word for a little melody. And Hanna always calls any boy who plays music a "muso". Any "muso" immediately has fifty points added to his hotness scale, she said once. But now she nicknames Aria Muso. And Aria doesn't complain.

Aria looked a bit confused but allowed Hanna to drag her out of the room and even shut the door behind us. I bit my lip and slowly dragged my eyes towards the girl in the bed. She smiled slightly at me. "Morning."

"Good morning." I practically whispered, then cleared my throat, wincing at the loud sound.

"Well don't you look hungover." Em noted. "Clothes you wore yesterday with a green complexion and bleary eyes. How did you feel this morning?"

For some weird reason colour immediately rose to my cheeks and I felt the stirrings of disgust at myself inside my head. "Uhgh. Like crap." I groaned, massaging my forehead. "I may have thrown up a bit. I'm still recovering now."

Em waggled her finger in a disapproving way and I found the gesture amusing. "You should be in this hospital bed, not me! You were very, very drunk."

Memories of the night fully impacted on me and I opened my mouth to say something, but shut it again. Remembrance seemed to affect her too- she cleared her throat slightly and instead looked at her splayed fingers. I rapidly decided to change the subject. "But what the hell were you doing? Gadding about in the night like a lunatic! You could have really, really been hurt. I was so worried this morning when A sent me that picture."

I could feel the mood change. From the tense, unsure, brushing with the unmentionable atmosphere to the one where we knew exactly what we were talking about. "I was quite hurt, Spence. And I did it because A sent me a picture-"here she paused as if unsure what to tell me "- threatening to send it to Toby. Then I walked outside and saw a flash of movement, chased after it, but A tricked me up a tree and I ended up in that unpleasant situation as you saw in the photo."

I shivered though the temperature was warm. "Yes. God, that would have hurt so much, I can't even imagine. You're so brave. How are you feeling now?"

She weakly smiled at my attempt to comfort her. "I'm alright now. So high on painkillers I can't even feel it. However, it's going to be a heck of a story explaining this to my Mom. She just may fly home from Texas to have a serious talk with me about what to do when faced with a creepy possible killer psychopath."

I laughed. "What's your cover story?"

"That I thought he'd stolen something from the house, heard him banging and crashing then chased him across the backyard, he went up a tree and I followed but a freak accident meant that I ended up in that position."

"Good one. Do you want to see… what you looked like?" I suggested, pulling my phone out of my pocket.

She shook her head quickly. "No. Was bad enough."

There was a silence for a couple of seconds, enough to make me feel awkward. And I just had to blurt the first thing that came to mind. "Seeing that photo is the only time I've ever seen you cry."

**Emily POV**

She looked down at the sheets as she said this, plucking at them with long delicate fingers. I resisted the temptation to hold them and instead paid attention to what she was saying. "The only time? I'm sure you've seen me cry before."

"Name one time."

I raised an eyebrow. "When Tanya came."

There were so many feelings, depth of quiet confusion, memories flitting through my mind, analyses of every little detail, on just those three words. Spencer didn't seem to realize. She paused for thought, and then continued her plucking. "I didn't see you. You mainly just sniffled into my shoulder."

"Still counted." I said, on a final note, no longer wishing to talk about it.

She was quiet for a while, and all I could hear was the comforting sound of the hospital fan whirring. Then she decided to interrupt the peaceful silence. "Aria and I were just thinking. Maybe you need to be more open about your feelings? Let it out once in a while. It's not healthy to keep everything bottled up like a volcano."

_You hypocrite. You absolute hypocrite. _I angrily thought, fingers curling on my sheets. Spencer wanted me to be honest about my feelings. And the same time, when I kissed her, being honest about my feelings for one of the first times, she'd shoved me back down. And then gotten plain old drunk and kissed me again just so she wanted me to be "open about my feelings". "You want me to be open about what I'm feeling?"

"Yeah. I think it'll be good for you."

_The bloody cheek! _I bit the inside of my cheek to stop myself from throttling her. "I'm not like that, Spencer. I'm open to a certain degree. Just because I don't lay myself on a table bare to everyone doesn't mean I'm secretive."

"I never said you were secretive, just said you should maybe be open about how you feel on things instead of keeping mum all the time."

"I am open. I've been excruciatingly open to you, matter of fact, and look where it's got us!"

As soon as the words bubbled out of my mouth I regretted them. I had mentioned the unmentionable. Said the unspoken. Broken the protective layer of silence around the subject neither of us wanted to go into. I almost flinched once I realized. Spencer's eyes trembled slightly, and then were still. The atmosphere in the room grew tense.

A sudden thought came to mind and I took a deep breath to stop the daggers of dread slicing my gut in half. "You do… you do remember? You weren't that drunk?"

She made no movement at all, growing slightly pale, and I found myself praying to God she didn't remember. Then her pink little tongue flicked out, moistening her lips, and she swallowed. "Yes."

That was all she needed to say, and yet her voice almost shook with the pressure of saying it. I nodded, feeling my stomach clench and heave with an eerie familiarity. _Where's this feeling familiar from? Oh yeah, Alison_. I moved my hand to massage the back of my neck awkwardly.

She still wouldn't meet my eye yet I could tell there was guilt shining deep within them. I so badly wanted to hug her, but I knew she'd freak out. "Spence… It wasn't your fault. You were drunk. Doesn't matter. We're still gonna be friends, right?"

Her eyes gazed off intensely to a space on the hospital wall, as if she was analysing the paintwork on it, then as I spoke, they flickered to my mouth. Something I found very disconcerting indeed. But she reached out, squeezed my hand, wrapping her fingers around mine. "We're always gonna be friends." She said, determined, her voice no longer shaking but strong.

I smiled. _This was old Spencer, returning, thank God_. The strong, motivated, clever, theorizing, Spencer, the one who always knows how to work out a problem and will _always _tackle it. No matter what. Not this unsure Spencer, the one who wouldn't meet my eye anymore, the one who was scared and drunk. I squeezed her hand back. "Okay. Problem solved."

She sighed, a little scornfully. "Easy as that?"

"For me, yes. I've been rejected many times, believe it or not. For you, it should be. Go back to Toby. You love him."

I said this with resolve, forcing myself to believe I could get over her. I could move on. It was all about self-talk, really. About picking up your heart and getting on with things. About loving yourself enough to stop moping around. Spence stared at our hands, nodding slightly. "Yes. Yes, I do."

"Good. Then you know what to do."

"I _don't_ if A sends that photo."

I was bemused for a second, until I realized she'd concluded what must have been in the photo A sent me. "You're ahead of me, as ever. Yeah. They threatened to send it to Toby."

"It's blackmail." Spencer said, suddenly looking very worried indeed.

"I don't think A really cares too much about that. He, or she, has got something on us. So now we've got to do whatever they want. Or the photo gets sent to Toby."

She went pale and I squeezed her hand. "It'll be okay. We'll do whatever they want. We can survive it, right? We have done before."

To emphasize my point, I punched her shoulder, in a joking way. "Don't tell me big old brave Detective Spencer is scared?" I teased.

That coaxed a smile out of her, then she let go of my hand. "Can I see the photo; to be sure I know what it is?"

I shrugged. Acting all casual-like. "Sure thing. But I'm pretty sure you already know."

I realized my phone was still in my jeans pocket, despite chasing after A, and pulled it out, flicking into messages and photos with ease. The picture popped up, and I handed it to Spencer. She looked at it for a while, then raised an eyebrow and painted a big fake smile on her face. I knew it was a fake smile because it didn't reach her eyes, but if she wasn't happy, I didn't need to inquire any more. She was probably shocked and faking for my benefit, I theorized. "Yeah. It was what I was thinking of. Suppose that rules out Tanya being A, then." She said with a sigh.

I shook my head, and I could see hope practically sparking within her eyes. "No. Last night Tanya got discharged. It wasn't as bad as everyone thought. Hanna checked it out for me. And you want to know the exact time she was discharged?"

"When?"

I dramatically paused. "Eight 'o'clock at night. And the interesting thing is that you came round to my house at eight-fifteen. Then approximately the time I chased A was at eight-forty five. So…"

Spencer looked ponderous. "So she's still in the running?"

"Definitely."

And suddenly my phone vibrated in her hand, and we both flinched away from it. Our eyes met. "Open it." I said hoarsely.

She did so, and I immediately knew it wasn't good news by the expression on her face.

"What's it say?"

She took a deep breath, and then let it go again, eyes becoming suspiciously glossy as she stared. "Spence?" I asked, worried.

She passed it over to me rather than read it out.

**Well now you know what I've got- lovely little photos of you and Spencer. But trouble is, I'm not satisfied that easily. I want a tape. Text me when you're done! Kisses, A.**

My heart actually honest to god seemed to stop for a couple of secs. I gaped at the phone and suddenly everything seemed to pause for a moment in time. I couldn't breathe. My hands started shaking slightly and my brain seemed to spin. _Me-and-Spencer-ohmigod-no-this-can't-be-real-JESUS-whatthehelldowedo?_

A month or so ago, if A had pulled something like this, Spencer and I could easily have laughed it off. It would have been nothing but a joke to us. But now A had something we both couldn't afford to be set loose. I felt physically sick. The room was spinning round and I cupped my head in my hands. "Oh Jesus." I whimpered.

Spence was making shallow breathing sounds and when I peeked at her she'd gone so pale she looked like she might faint. I tried to calm myself down, terror sparking off adrenalin which pulsed through my veins with icy intent. "Spence." I said simply, reaching a hand out to her shoulder.

She turned to look at me with fear in her eyes. "F-friends no matter what, right?" She whispered.

I nodded, slowly as though too much motion could make me throw up. "Of course. No matter what."

"What else can go wrong?" She murmured. "Dad's a bastard, Tanya's my sister, and now I have to- have to-"

She stopped and started her sentence like she couldn't say anything and I sighed, feeling her pain deep within my heart. She leant in against me miserably and I hugged her. "It'll be okay, Spence. It'll be okay."

_But how can I say that when I'm not even sure myself?_

**Wow this was a really hard chapter to write… And I had a lucky dose of inspiration from Tumblr! Thanks so much to whoever came up with that genius idea :D also please R&R, every day I read those reviews I literally grin with excitement. Also Spinoza-off KEEP UP WITH SPEEDING UP! I haven't said this enough but it's an amazing story and I'm really enjoying reading it. Stay awesome guys, and review! **


	10. Clap Claps For Hanna

**Spencer POV**

It was like ten fireworks going off in my head all at once, each creating a tidal wave of horror to wash over me. I wondered if I was going to puke and tried to stop myself hyperventilating, like I did now whenever I was terrified. My shoulder was against Em's, her hand in my hair, and somehow her contact scared me. I almost shied away from it, and when I felt her breathe against me, I bit my lip to stop myself from yelling out. _Scared? Of my best friend? Oh god, what's become of us?_

She spoke and I swam out of a haze of thoughts to hear her. "Spencer. If you… if you feel that strongly about it, strongly as I do, would it be so bad for Toby to see it?"

I shuddered at the thought but she went on. "You could just claim you were drunk and had no idea. Spin him anything about how you thought it was him. If that's called spinning, and not truth-telling, that is."

I was so lost in self-pity and misery I had no idea what she was referring to. "I could. Maybe…" My voice trailed off, lost in a pathetic key which begged for hope.

And then my phone vibrated and I began shaking with pure panic. Em's eyes widened slightly and she reached for it. She gave a slight sigh when she read it.

"**Don't get any smart ideas, bitches. If it's not within a day of Emily getting out of hospital, the photo's sent to Aria. If it's longer than that, it gets sent to Toby. Three days or more, and this photo will be sent to both of your mums. Don't let me down girls! – A xx"**

Black spots suddenly appeared before my eyes and I retched slightly, but kept it quiet. My entire body grew ram-rod still with terror. "My mom… Oh Jesus Em. We have to do it now?" I said quietly.

She nodded. "It'll be one simple thing. Then it'll be out of our lives. It'll be okay, Spence."

I breathed deep out my nose and inhaled through the mouth, trying to calm my heart. It felt like I'd just fallen off a building, and I could feel Emily's gaze searching my eyes. "Am I that bad?"

I shook my head vehemently. "No! God no. I love you. It's just that…"

"You're going to be cheating on the guy you love, it's gay, you don't want to hurt me, and you're just generally worried about how the photos could get spread?"

"Sort of." I said, despite the fact that was exactly what I'd just been thinking. . "Reading my mind. How long till you get out?"

"Around a week. Was a clean break. But I'll have the cast on, when we, when we make it."

I almost laughed at how concerned she sounded. "I don't think A will care too much. Actually, can I sign it?" I asked, trying to regain a sense of normality despite my heartbeat thudding.

She pointed to a pen on the shelf next to her and I grabbed it, wondering what to write. Then a surprisingly thought descended onto me, and I blinked slowly as I fathomed it. "Em. I'm gonna write this cause I can't say it." I murmured, looking directly into her eyes.

She tilted her head, confused, then: "Yeah. Sure."

I wrote it hastily, in my usual fluid joined writing, which so many people claim difficulty reading. Em immediately leant in to read it as soon as I was finished. I capped the pen, feeling the flush of embarrassment creep up my neck and round my cheeks.

**Kiss me. :)**

Her face formed the most perfect bemused expression I'd ever seen that I could have chuckled. Then she looked deeply into my eyes, looking intrigued yet teasing. "Why, Spencer?"

I sighed, but felt the tense curling in my stomach unravel a teensy bit. "I just want to see. Without me being so drunk I barely remember it, or so horrified that I had no idea what was going on. I know this is cruel to you, but I swear to God, you do this and I'll… I'll know. I promise."

She smirked slightly. "So you want me to be open about my feelings?"

I cringed at those words and she shrugged. "Just sayin', Ms Hypocrite."

"Ugh. Can we just forget-"I made large hand movements "-all of that and just let me sort out my feelings once and for all? Please?"

"Don't have to beg." She grinned cheekily.

"Emily!"

"That's the name you'll be screaming in bed tonight."

"Jesus Christ!"

"And that's the other name."

I rolled my eyes. "When you have had enough of being a super stud, feel free to kiss me."

"Oh? An open invitation? Sorry, but I actually can't move. My ankle _is _dislocated. And a bit snapped. But, dear Spencer, I can never get enough. Which is interestingly what you said last night, I'm not sure if you can remember-"

I grumpily sighed, then leant in and closed my eyes, swept into another vortex of having no idea what I wanted. A minute ago I was terrorized by the fear of her touch, and I'd decided I wanted to find out why. When her lips made contact with mine shock rattled through me, even though I'd been expecting it the entire time. My palms sweated like they did when I had a major fright. Instincts told me to back away. But I pushed them away and kissed her back, and after a while the panic faded and a state of numbness set in. Like I didn't know what I was doing, but didn't care. My heart stopped racing and I almost could feel myself relaxing. Like my worries swept away and I was just lying there kissing my best friend, you know, just casually.

I hadn't realized her hands were on my back until they were playing with the hem of my hoodie and I shivered slightly with a feeling I yet again couldn't define? Fear? Or desire? And then suddenly as her tongue flicked the top of my teeth, I shivered again, yet kept kissing, trying to push everything away and concentrate on how the kissing was making me feel. And then the door was knocked.

We both pulled away, me pulling my top down even though it was only riding a matter of millimetres upwards, and coughing loudly. Em re-tucked herself under the hospital sheets, managing to cover her leg quickly, the "KISS ME" disappearing from view under white polyester. I sat on the bedside, trying to look like we were not just making out for the entire world.

Hanna's blonde head swung round the door, as did a Starbucks bag. "Finished making out?" She joked, waggling the brown bag at us. "I got cookies."

Emily and I exchanged glances then burst out laughing, while Aria pushed her way into the room. "One Caramel Brule Frappie for Spence, and one white chocolate hot chocolate for Emily. And raspberry and chocolate cookies. What were you guys doing?"

"Oh you know, having sex, smoking pot, the usual." Em said with sarcasm that made me laugh.

I looked towards her and saw how she was glancing my way with eyes sparkling, and I grinned crookedly, realizing I loved her eyes sparkling. As she broke the glance, she picked up her phone and began texting. Aria dumped the Starbucks bag on her bed, folding her arms. "It does smell funny in here." She said, sounding slightly worried.

"Oh Aria." Hanna said, raising her eyes. "Do you honestly think Emily and Spencer would smoke pot…?"

"No I suppose not really."

"I was about to say, "Without offering us some" but fine, you know."

I cracked up as Aria's face turned shocked, and then realized we were joking. Hanna grinned evilly as Aria sighed grumpily and bit down on a cookie. "However, I do think there's some portion of pot in these cookies. That's what makes them so addictive."

I nodded. "Or maybe it could just be the secret recipe. You know, like the one in KFC. And Coke. And Krabby Patties."

"Krabby Patties." Aria reminisced. "I remember those. When I was little, the secret recipe to Krabby Patties was my _life_."

"And now they're just nasty STDs, caused by the secret recipe of unsafe sex." Emily added.

Hanna's eyes suddenly grew wide. "Krabby… Patties… Oh my lord Em."

"That's _sick_." I added, open-mouthed.

Em bit her lip to stop the massive grin spreading across her face and raised her eyebrows. "You're not the only one who's dirty-minded, Hanna."

Aria chuckled. "You remember what Alli used to say about you, Em?"

_Of course it's Aria who remembers this. _"What?"

"Shy on the streets… sexy on the sheets. 'Course that was when you and Ben were a couple."

Em chuckled at that. "Well. Yeah. You guys all know how well that was working."

"Well enough to have sex with him." I suddenly blurted, the words galloping over my tongue before I even realized what they meant.

"What?" Emily asked; her voice full of horror.

"Yeah…" Aria said. "You lost your virginity to Ben, right?"

Em shook her head slowly. "Nope. Sorry to disappoint, still a virgin."

Hanna's jaw had dropped. "But-but-but, WHAT? I could have sworn you were the first of us."

Em laughed. "I love how Spencer and Aria are interested in how I'm still a virgin, and you, Hanna, just care about how, yes, you were the first to lose your virginity."

"True that." Aria said, shrugging.

"Agree." I murmured.

Hanna paused for thought, her little eyebrows screwed up. "Wait- that means- YESSSSSSS!" She suddenly hollered, pumping her fist. "I WIN! YEAAAAAHH!"

"Han, it's not a freaking competition!" I yelled, laughing though.

"Everything's a competition for me. Even sex."

There was a slight awkward period after that sentence, and then Em suddenly muttered. "That's what she said…"

We all looked at each other's faces and burst out laughing. Then my phone beeped yet again, and I froze. As did Em. I bit my lip, opening the message, and scrolled down, reading it.

**Spencer, please come home. We need to talk. Dad's not here, he's going to be staying in our flat in NY. We need to sort this out, together. –Mom**

I sighed slightly with relief. _Jumping from one disaster to a slightly less bad one_. My head flicked upwards to see Em's eyes on me, looking afraid. "It's okay… Just my Mom. I need to go home. Nice seeing all of you. Get better soon, Em."

They all looked relieved at that, and made their goodbyes. I was on autopilot for the rest of the journey home. I honestly can't remember any thoughts from the hospital to the house. All I remember is pulling into the driveway, staring at my hands and wondering whether I needed to re-do my clear nail polish. I'd developed a really bad habit of biting my nails then, due to anxiety and worry. Over guess who? Ha.

I'd opened the car door and walked out, and walked up the steps to my house, just as my Mom opened the door. She smiled faintly at me, and beckoned for me to come in. I slowly, deliberately untied my shoes, and placed them by the door. I didn't rush to see her, or show any emotion. Like the no emotion she was showing me. _Welcome to the family Spencer, where feelings are under lock and key 24-7! _

And then as I walked inside, shutting the door, Tanya's blue eyes met mine, as she sat nonchalantly on the couch. I froze, stomach absolutely plummeting down to my shoes. _Yay! A psychopath, possible killer, and possible lesbian who wants a sex tape from me and Emily has come for tea. How positively delightful! _

Tanya must have seen my face drop cause she backed off a little bit. I noticed how the bruises around her nose were less vivid now, and she had a strip of tape around it. It seemed her stomach was paining her however, as she was cradling a packet of ice to it. She looked nervous and worried, like I imagined my face was right now. "Hiya Spencer." She said quietly.

I stared at her, my arms folding without even realizing it. "Hello, Tanya." I tried not to spit, being icy polite.

My mum looked approving, and I shot an accusing look in her direction. "Why is Tanya here, Mom?" I inquired.

My Mom sat down on the sofa next to her and I resisted the urge to push Mom to safety onto another couch. "Since Tanya is really a part of our family, I believe we should get to know her and handle this in a responsible and mature manner. Please be seated, Spencer."

I walked stiffly over to the sofa, and sat down, rigid as a board. My Mom smiled appreciatively, and Tanya smiled too, if a little weakly. "Would you like some coffee, Tanya? Spencer, you too?" Mom asked.

"I'd love some tea, thank you, Mrs Hastings." She said quietly, and I shook my head.

As Mom bustled off and got the tea, Tanya immediately leaned towards me. "Is Emily okay?" She asked, sounding generally concerned.

"She's fine. Just a dislocated ankle. She's at hospital now, but it's all good. She'll be out soon." I replied, succeeding in not adding _much as you want to know_.

Was it my paranoia drastically enhancing things, or was there a glint of pleasure in her eye? "Oh, that's good. Thank God. I heard from Jason she'd been in an accident. What happened?"

"She was chasing a burglar, who ran up a tree. She followed, got her leg caught in a swing, and her ankle snapped."

"Wow. What a freak accident." Tanya murmured, and I had to wonder at what a great actress she was. She looked genuinely frightened for Emily's health, and freaked out right now. _Crazy_.

I shrugged. "Pretty much."

"But, seriously? A burglar? What happened to just dialling 999 and waiting for the cops?"

"999?"

"Oh, 911. Same diff."

I immediately realized this flaw in Emily's story. "She didn't really think." I blathered for a while about phone signal not being good in her house. Tanya listened on, looking fascinated.

"Have they caught the burglar?"

"Nope."

"Not even a police investigation or anything?"

"No, not really."

"Why not?"

"I don't know!" I said, exasperated. "That's all I know. Emily's parents are both away at the moment, so Em's acting as an individual and not declaring a police investigation."

Tanya nodded with another interested look and I almost wanted to snatch it off her face. "Okay. Well. Aside from the whole friend's-broken-limb thing, I reckon we should get to know each other. You know, like talk."

I rolled my eyes. "Okay, what's your favourite colour?"

"Blue." She said, sticking out her tongue. "Yours?"

"Red. Favourite animal?"

"Hawk. Yours?"

_Ah. I see. You're into the kind of animals which devour raw meat off the side of the road. Hm. _"Terrier dogs."

"Why?" She asked, smiling all cute.

I knew she was making an effort to be friendly and it was making me tense and nervous. If she was A, she could strike right now, and no one would know. Jesus. "I've been compared to them many… times in my life." I said carefully, not making eye contact.

She smiled slightly. "Oh, yeah. You seem kind of determined and smart like one."

_Determined and smart… sucking up to me much? Bloody hell_. I shrugged. "Sure, I guess."

There was an awkward pause, and then she folded her arms. "What's up? You were perfectly nice to me yesterday. Now you're all cold."

**Tanya POV**

I didn't want to say what I just said, but she left me no choice. She was eyeing me like I was going to bite her, holding herself tightly. Her legs were pressed so hard together I wondered if her knees were aching. Her lips were practically sucked into her mouth, they were pursed so hard. Her eyes were looking everywhere but meeting mine, and her arms were folded defensively across her chest. I read somewhere that when people are uncomfortable in a situation, they most often wrap their arms around themselves. Spencer's hands were practically touching her shoulders. I was complimenting her, and her tone of voice didn't change. Neutral, flat, monotonous. And when I'd heard her voice with such clear expression within it earlier, it didn't make sense.

It was like she was afraid of me, or angry, and I couldn't figure out why. Apart from the obvious, destroying her family. But then again, she'd seemed perfectly fine yesterday around my hospital bed. However, that was when she was with her friends. Maybe she was one of those deeply insecure people. Those ones that only feel comforted when people they love and trust are around them. And since she definitely neither loved nor trusted me- she immediately clammed up, and suddenly seemed almost… bitchy.

She tossed her hair in a definitive moment, tilted her head slightly inquiringly, yet still didn't meet my eyes. "Cold?"

"Icy." I shot back, and I could practically feel my lip curling in the anticipation of a fight.

I didn't want to fight her. I wanted to be friends. I wanted to be sisters. I wanted to plait and brush her hair, and tell her about my day, my love life, and my thoughts. I wanted to come to her lacrosse games and cheer her as soon as she got the ball, wildly and enthusiastically and embarrassingly. I wanted to whistle flirtatiously when I saw her and her boyfriend together; I wanted to share all the school gossip with her. I wanted to watch TV with her and laugh crazily at all the funny bits. I wanted to swap music with her and borrow her iPod, all the time.

So yeah, I was lonely. I thought she could be an amazing big sister, but as she became colder and somehow distantly angry, my thoughts changed. I'd always wanted a big sister. In my foster family, I'd been an only child. Tess and Dave- my Mum and Dad- were infertile, and decided they only wanted one little girl from adoption. I'd always been a lonely little child, playing by myself wherever I went. So when I met Spencer, it was like a childhood dream come true. And then smashed into smithereens with the fight we were about to have.

To my surprise, she simply raised one eyebrow and snorted. "Whatever."

And that was even worse. Fights I could handle. I'd been notorious for getting into them at my old school. It would take one person's offhand comment to make me stop whatever I was doing, stare them down and insult them right back, until we were either brawling with fists and feet, or the other person had backed off. I would never back off. But when I got into massive trouble for decking the school bully i.e. punching him so hard he had a concussion for weeks, I was sent to an Irish Catholic all-girls school. And weirdly enough, that made me want an older sister even more.

But Spencer's offhand tone, like she really couldn't care about me, dug deep within me. I wanted her to care about. I so desperately wanted, perhaps even needed, her to be a sister to me. But her simply brushing off my comment without even taking any notice of it, made me want to fight even more. I tried not to gape, simply bit my lip, and attempted to bite down my temper with it.

Thankfully, Spencer's mum came into the room carrying two cups of tea. I sighed slightly with relief, and then almost blushed as I realized it was audible. Spencer's eyes were totally focused on her mum, and I realized there was coldness deep within her. Her eyes spoke of betrayal and were loaded with venom.

Her mum sat down and smiled. "What were you two talking about?"

Spencer said nothing, instead staring sullenly, almost sulkily at the carpet. I shrugged, acting happy. "Oh, things we have in common."

"And what's that?" Her mum- Veronica, actually- gushed.

"Absolutely nothing so far." I concluded.

Spencer made a slight sound of derision, and my fists almost balled at my side, but I realized paranoia had masked a chuckle. "Pretty much."

Veronica laughed; a posh, high tinkle. "Oh don't be silly! I'm sure you two can find something… Spencer, what's your favourite song?"

"_I'm Not Befriending __a__ Psycho."_

Veronica scowled. "Excuse me Spencer?"

"It's a song."

I raised my eyebrows, seriously doubting that. _Psycho? Me? _I'd been called that many times in my life, sure, but only when I'd totally settled into somewhere. Allowed people to get to know me. But Spencer finding that out, that quickly? I stared at her with suspicion, and she shrugged with a big bright fake smile. "It's by _Are You Really A?"_

The name sounded legitimate, so I settled for that. And suddenly, Spencer's eyes stared deep into mine, making me even more uncomfortable. One minute she couldn't stand to look at me, and the next, she's scanning my eyes with an intensity that I recognized. I saw it flash in mine when I looked confidently into the mirror. I'd seen it glow when I'd been filmed for a drama production when I was twelve. It was a mental power I'd never seen in anyone else's eyes. And then with Spencer staring directly at mine, I stared back, and let the abject force of my gaze battle against hers.

She seemed surprised at how willing I was to battle, and raised one eyebrow, cocky, willing to fight straight back. And then all of a sudden she seemed satisfied, and looked back at her mother. "Well, what's your favourite song, Tanya?"

She sneered, and was effectively sounding like she couldn't care less. But I wouldn't allow her the satisfaction of getting to me. "_I Don't Care- _by Fall Out Boy."

We stared at each other for a while, almost fighting without words. Veronica didn't seem to recognize it at all. "Oh well, are those similar bands?"

"No." Spencer and I said in unison.

"Oh. Well, I see." She said, clearly floundering. "Well, what do you teenage girls like these days…? TV shows?"

"Misfits." I said immediately.

"Downtown Abbey." Spencer said.

I chuckled. "Are you kidding? Oh my god, that show is so-"

Her eyes raked my face, and her gaze was all too clearly terrifying. I coughed slightly. "So good. Yep. I love Downtown Abbey so much that my foster Mum and Grandma watch it."

It was another insult on Spencer's side, yet she barely reacted. "Mmm. Very good."

I hadn't touched my tea, and I reached out towards it, sipping it down. It was strong, not sweet at all. Exactly how I hated it. But I swallowed it down with a pleasant smile. Veronica didn't know what to do at all. "Okay, well I've got a work call to make now, so keep it down please." She said curtly, and stood up, walked out of the room. "Lovely to meet you, Tanya."

"You too, Mrs Hastings." I said quietly.

She froze as I said that, stopped walking. "It's Mrs Nelson now." She murmured, and then moved on.

Spencer looked stricken, and because I'd dissolved into ultimate-fight mode, I raised my eyebrows at her. "Spencer Nelson. Has a nice ring to it."

She gave me a filthy glare, and I immediately felt apologetic. After all, I was the one who'd made her Spencer Nelson. "Look, I really am sorry-"

"Save it. You were honest. More than he was." She said, and I had the thought she felt vulnerable for just saying that.

I nodded, and let the mood past. "Favourite movie?"

"Are we still doing this?" She groaned.

"Yep. Mine's the Lion King."

"Mine's Anonymous."

"What's that?"

"The movie about whether Shakespeare wrote his plays, or whether he was a _liar_, a _thief_, a _psychopath _or an _anonymous criminal_."

She emphasized those words so particularly it was almost like she was shooting them straight at me. I couldn't understand it at all. But I shrugged my shoulders, and acted like I couldn't be bothered at all. "Guess we'll never know."

"Hmm."

There was a long awkward pause then, and I decided to make my goodbyes. "Well, great talking with you, I guess I'll head back to Jason's then."

"Let me ask you one thing, before you go." Spencer said, making it sound much more like an order.

I didn't move off the sofa. "Yeah?"

"Are you gay?" She said, direct and to the point.

I froze, glued to the spot by bemusement. "What?"

"You heard."

And all of a sudden all the boyfriends I have had flashed through my head. _Liam, Nick, Taylor, Sam… _Just like that. I shook my head. "No, I'm as straight as a ruler."

She stared at me for a few more intense seconds, and then nodded. "Okay. Just wondering."

I was still itching for a fight, and then words seemed to bubble out of my mouth in all of my venom. "Why? Scared I'll steal Emily off you?"

She almost took a step back and then suddenly looked angry. "Tanya, I'm straight too."

"Right. Whatever." I said cheerfully. "See you around!"

I opened the door but could feel her steely gaze practically burning holes in my back. Yet this time, I was satisfied to have the upper hand in the argument. I sauntered out, closing the door behind me, and marched out of the house.

Yet I could still feel Spencer's eyes watching me, and they sent shivers up my spine.

**Sorry it took so long, I went on a tramp! Thank you so much Spinoza-off, I am learning heaps off your story :D they are very different but we both get inspiration off each others! I absolutely love yours at the moment. Everyone who reviews makes my day, seriously **** love you all!**


	11. Flashbacking

**Hanna POV**

Aria left soon after Spencer, claiming Mike had gotten himself into yet another situation missing his keys and therefore urgently needed help. The minute she strode out the door on her little legs, Em immediately sat up in her bed and leaned towards me urgently. "Why. The. Hell. Did. You. Get. Spencer. Drunk." She snarled through gritted teeth.

Her scowl scrunched up her face not unlike that of a grumpy little baby, but I decided not to point that out. "It seemed like the best thing to do in the situation… not having to deal with all that emotional crap." I blustered, realizing I hadn't entirely thought out the idea. I just did it for the sake of getting drunk. As ever.

"The situation? Any situation for you is solved by violence or alcohol. You should have just told her to come to me so we could sort it out!"

Em hit a soft point on situations solving, but I brushed it off. "I did tell her to come to you. After she drank five shots of tequila."

"Argh!" Em huffed, folding her arms. "Bad things could have happened to her."

"No. I knew she'd be safe at yours. Why are you so mad? Nothing happened."

She made a _hrumph _sound. "I don't know. Bad stuff could have happened, and us as friends shouldn't put other friends to risk. It isn't right."

If Aria was getting interrogated like this she would have stepped down immediately, not wanting to offend anyone. Spencer would have used logic to argue to a sensible conclusion. But me? I fought back and added fuel to the fire. "She agreed to it. I just supplied the alcohol."

"That sounds like one of those bloody drink driving ads!" Em growled. "Just don't put her, or anyone else for that matter, in the situation where you're getting them drunk to stop feeling emotional. Please."

I rolled my eyes but compensated, not wanting to fight with her. Especially since she was a cripple. Morals and all- don't physically nor mentally abuse cripples. "Fine, fine. Since I'm such a bad influence and all."

"You so are, Hanna." She groaned, but I knew I was forgiven by the tone of her voice.

"Meh."

A comfortable silence continued until a thought came to mine, and I raised my eyebrow with comedic realization. Em immediately looked worried as she saw a crafty look shoot across my face. "What…"

"Protective much of Spencer?" I smiled cockily, knowing I'd got her.

Em said nothing but went slightly red and looked down at her hands. I winked at her; with the feeling I was enjoying this all too much. _Do I care? Nope!_ "So .Give me details. How long have you liked our little nerd friend."

"She really hates it when you call her-"

"Details." I interrupted.

"A while." She groaned as her hand flew to her forehead, embarrassed.

"How long is a while?" I questioned, in a high sing-song voice.

"One hundred and ten years." She smirked.

It took me a while to get the cheap joke but I eventually smiled as she giggled at her own joke. "Crappy book references aside, how long." I changed the subject effortlessly.

"Since Ali went and got murdered. You happy?"

"Nope… Wait, after you dated Ben or before?"

"Before." She groaned again.

"Oooh… Interesting." I chuckled. Her face was the same shade as a tomato, which made me laugh even more. "So, hm, what did you guys get up to while Spence was intoxicated?"

Em grabbed a pillow and proceeded to whack me over the head with it while I giggled madly, mock rubbing my hands with glee. "NOTHING. NOTHING!" She growled.

When she finally finished beating me up I was triumphant and laughing. "Obviously something happened…"

"I'm not telling you anything." She huffed, and I pealed into another fit of the giggles at her embarrassed, grumpy face.

When the fit passed, Em was avoiding my eye with a sulky, pouty expression. Her arms were firmly folded across her chest, and I got the impression I wouldn't get anything more out of her if I attempted to waterboard her in the stiff hospital bed. I grabbed her hand and squeezed it gently, giving her a big smile. "It's not an issue, Em. I find it hilarious and I bet Aria would too."

Em gave me a sideways glance. "Hilarious that once again, I've managed to fall for another of our best friends? Oh yep. I find that very hilarious."

The bitterness in her voice was unmistakable. "Hey." I said quietly, shuffling a bit closer to her. "I never meant that. You know I didn't."

"Hmph." Her voice sounded slightly sad with the warning air of anger.

"You know, it was a joke between all of us at one point. Not as in I think your love life is a joke!" I said quickly as she shot me an irate look.

Her silence beckoned me to continue. "We'd laugh about which one of us was the sexiest, one time we almost asked you to comment on it. We'd joke about which one of us you found the hottest." I said, carefully phrasing my words so not to offend her.

That coaxed a small, faraway grin out of her. "Oh yes? And who won these little competitions of yours?"

I laughed, trying to remember, enjoying her amused fascination. Then I suddenly flashed back out of the blue, to Aria, Spencer and I sitting on Aria's bed, having a hilarious discussion. Em had been sick that day, confined to her bed with flu. The memories flashed through my mind dizzyingly.

_My legs were spread out on the massive double bed, Spencer sleepily lying to my right and Aria sitting up with a laptop on her lap to my left. We'd had a little to drink, and were all slightly tipsy. "So girls." I drunkly giggled, tapping my fingers on the cover of the bed. "Time for Round One of who Emily would find the hottest."_

_Aria laughed and shook her head. "Obviously it's me."_

"_Contestant number one, state why you should be, Our Group, or Emily's Next Top Hottie?"_

"_Oh come on darlings, I'm gorgeous." She snorted and we all laughed loudly._

"_More valid reasons are needed, Aria." Spencer reminded her, pulling a pillow closer to her. _

"_Well. I'm emotional like her I guess… And I'm open. And funny. And short."_

"_Funny?" I questioned, staring at her in bewilderment. _

"_Yeah? Aren't I?"_

"_You leave the funny business to me, Aria. You can't even make a joke."_

"_I so can! Spencer loves my jokes." She affirmed. _

"_I don't." Spence said, muffled by the pillow which she'd thrown across her face. _

"_Tell me a joke, Muso, and let's see if my ears bleed this time." I instructed her. _

"_Okay, so a guy walks into a bar-"_

"_IT'S ALREADY BAD." Spencer and I said in unison._

"_You guys shut up! Okay, so a guy walks into a bar, and he immediately sees a bowl of free peanuts. He walks up to take one, and as he's doing that, they suddenly begin talking to him. "What a lovely tie you're wearing, you do look very nice tonight sir, and I absolutely love your cologne!"."_

"_He was _so _high."_

"_Hanna! So the guy thinks, oh my god I'm going crazy. I have to go have a cigarette to calm myself. He walks out to the cigarette machine, and as he's about to insert coins into it, it suddenly begins talking to him. "Ew, you look disgusting. What the hell is with that suit you're wearing? Your breath stinks. You're easily the ugliest man who's come here tonight."."_

"_What drug was he on, and can I get some for myself?" I asked, theorizing what kind of LSD would make peanuts and cigarette machines magically develop personalities and talk to you. _

"_HANNA! And then he runs into the bar, and orders a drink. He's really worried, so he says to the bartender "Oh my god, I think I'm going crazy. These peanuts and the cigarette machine just talked to me! The peanuts told me I was attractive, and the cigarette machine told me I was ugly!" And the bartender goes "Oh, sorry about that. The peanuts are complimentary, and the cigarette machine is out of order!"_

_There was a silence, followed by two pairs of eyes glaring unamusedly in Aria's direction. She shrugged. "I tried, okay, I tried. Tough crowd."_

"_So, Contestant Number Two, why should you be Emily's Next Top Hottie?" I asked Spencer. _

_She pulled her head out from the pillow and grinned shyly. "Well. We're both tall. And she is kind of closest to me, and we both do sports. But other-people wise, I'm smart and fun and a leader and… yeah."_

_Aria and I giggled, even though there was nothing funny about it. "So, Hanna, should you be Emily's Next Top Hottie?" Spencer asked._

_Aria made a funny sound. "Oh, if Emily ever crushed on any one of us, it was gonna be Hanna."_

_I gave her a puzzled look. "What? Why?"_

"_You look like Alison." She said, slowly, as if afraid what would come next. _

And with that I suddenly snapped back into the present, with Em's eyes meeting mine with intrigue in them. "Come on. Out with it. Who was it?"

I opened my mouth, then closed it, unsure whether to tell her or not. _Actually, when the hell have I been scared of the consequences of my actions? _"Me." I said uncomfortably.

She looked surprised for a bit, then smirked. "Oh yes? Why?"

"Because I look like Alison." I said quietly, feeling colour spurt to my cheeks.

She paused for a second, meeting my eyes, shocked. Then she shook her head. "Nope. Sorry, I guess? Never really thought of you in that way."

"That's perfectly okay." I said quickly, and she laughed. "It was always either me or Spencer, we decided."

"Why Spencer?"

I laughed, and then realized she looked puzzled. "Don't you remember? You two at thirteen. We were practically singing _Spencer and Emily sitting in a tree_."

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Em said, her brows furrowed.

I leaned forward. "That sleepover? Round October, 2006 or so? We were playing truth or dare, remember? That dare?"

**Em POV**

I squinted at Hanna, not sure what she was getting at. "What dare?"

"It was when we were beginning to be close. Ali was there. We were round at Spencer's barn. It was the first sleepover there. And Ali came up with the dare."

The faintest stirrings of a memory nudged in my head, and I closed my eyes to try to recall. "Keep talking. What was the dare?"

Hanna said nothing, and when I opened my eyes, she looked even more uncomfortable. "What was the dare?" I asked again.

She sighed, and rolled her shoulders. "You two were the only ones who hadn't had your first kisses yet. This was before you and Ben, and we were all joking about it. Then Ali came up with a dare. You two had to go into the cupboard and kiss each other. It was like a female seven minutes in heaven."

My jaw dropped open as soon as she said that. And as my jaw dropped, my brain flashed back to sitting on a mattress on the floor, my eyes fixed on Ali's face as she spoke those words, like a death sentence was spilling out of her mouth.

"_I think." Ali said, grinning evilly, "These two loveless children should find love with each other."_

"_You mean like a double date?" Aria asked. "That would work, if they had boyfriends."_

"_Please continue to talk about us like we're not here." Spencer said, and I agreed. _

"_Of course." Ali smiled. "You two. I dare you, to go into that cupboard-"She gesticulated wildly towards the cupboard at the other end of the barn "-and you're not allowed out until you've got the "first kiss" thing over and done with."_

_I sat up, shocked, immediately beginning to gabble my horror. "Ali, no, oh my god, no offence Spence-"_

_She was doing much the same. "Ali, you shouldn't make us do that, it isn't right Ali, come on-"_

_Ali sat there with evil pleasure on her face, her legs crossed, head tilted at that perfect angle, hands folded in her lap. Hanna and Aria were wide-mouthed, staring at each other, then us, then at each other again. "You girls don't wanna chicken out, do you?" Ali said silky smooth._

"_No but Ali-"Spencer spluttered._

"_You'll have to do the forfeit otherwise." _

_We all knew what the forfeit was. And neither of us wanted to do it. It involved Ali's brother Jason and stealing his weed. I shuddered just to think of it. I glanced at Spencer, who looked reluctant and scared. "C'mon Spence." I said softly. "Am I that bad?"_

_Everyone laughed, even Spencer, though nervously. Then she stood up, rolling her eyes. "Ali, you are going to regret this."_

"_You won't." Hanna quipped, and everyone laughed again. _

_Spencer and I sauntered towards the old oak cupboard in the other room of the barn, where we could hear giggles from the opposite room. "You lot shut up." I said, opening the door, and letting her go in first. _

_As I shut the door, blackness enclosed us. I could barely see where she was in the first place. "Em." She said quietly. _

_I reached out my hand to find her and it brushed against her arm. "Hey. Look, we can just pretend we did it. Simple as that."_

_She was silent for a while, and then made a slight sound of annoyance. "Yeah, but we won't get the first kiss thing over and done with. And I'm sick of not having it out of the way. Ali's always teasing me about it and it annoys me. Let's just get it done with. Quickly."_

_I shrugged, and then realized she couldn't see me. "If you insist. Ready?"_

"_Yep." She said, and as my eyes became used to the dark, I saw her standing there with her eyes closed. "Um, what are you doing?"_

"_Waiting for you." She said, through gritted teeth._

_I chuckled, rocked back on my feet once, left my sense of fear and being unsure behind, then leant in and brushed her lips with mine once experimentally, then twice, as I slightly leaned into her. My eyes closed as she pushed back, opening her mouth, and then closing it slowly. I nearly pulled away, but her hands suddenly held my hips like she wanted me to stay. I kissed her back then, and we stayed like that- nervously opening our mouths and closing them against each other- until I heard footsteps outside and pulled away. _

_She opened her eyes and looked anxiously into mine, but I grinned, amused by her actions. "So much for small kiss, liar."_

"_Hey, I had no idea what the hell I was doing, okay?" She blustered, and despite the dark I knew she was blushing. _

"_I believe you." I laughed, and swung open the cupboard door. _

_Ali, Aria and Hanna were stood there, looking horrified as Spencer and I trotted out. We laughed at their astonished faces, and I felt Spencer's hand take mine, for no particular reason. I smirked at her again and she smiled shyly back. _

"_Love is in the air…" Ali warbled and everyone suddenly burst into giggles. _

I zoomed back into the present with a slight gasp. _Of course_. How the hell did I manage to forget? Spencer had been my first kiss. As I gaped, Hanna smiled at me. "Did you just remember?"

"Pretty much." I said, leaning back onto the bedstead. "Wow. What a weird world."

"You can say that again."

"Wow. What a weird world."

"Not literally, dumbass."

"You're the one who said it."

She threw her hands up in the air. "Fine. Whatever. But we all knew a little chemistry was going on in that cupboard. It was written all over your faces."

"Whatever you say." I said, shaking my head with a smile.

There was another silence, which was broken by Hanna making some small talk about school. We had to go back in a week, another thing I wasn't looking forward to. We joked about Lucas finding me, but she promised me she'd thank him. Then she left with a dramatic flip of her hair and a cheery smile. And I was alone, in the hospital bed.

I picked up my phone and sent a text to Spence. **H jst remindd me of mi 1st kiss. With u? Did u remmbr that?**

A message vibrated by my side five minutes later. **I did. Did you forget? Just a silly truth or dare thing. Weird, hm. **

I was about to text back when my phone vibrated again. **Actually, be right back. I'm going to m****urder Melissa. She just got home**** and I have some punching to do**_**. **_

**Spencer POV**

I was sitting there waiting calmly and quietly on the sofa when she came in. She chucked her bag onto the kitchen bench, and dumped her keys in the bowl. I stood up, breathed in, and looked directly at her with a glare, that if I say so myself, could burn through iron.

I'd had one fight today, and was in just the mood for another when she arrived. My fingers practically itched for the temptation to strangle her. She met my gaze, and looked pleasantly surprised. "Well hello Spencer. How's it going?"

"Why the hell did you send that text to Emily?" I spat.

"A little joke, Spencer." She smiled calmly, despite my smouldering rage. "What was her reaction? Do tell."

A red cloud practically rose up in front of my vision. "I will _not _let you mess with my friend's feelings like that. Why can't you just leave me alone?"

"It was a joke. Calm, calm, little sister."

I smiled despite fury turning my stomach into a blistering furnace. "Oh yeah. I am calm. And I have news for you."

"What's that?"

"We have a half-sister." I spat, watching her face, my stomach turning to ice.

She frowned slightly. "What?"

"Dad cheated on Mom. And he isn't coming back home. Mom's divorcing him. Our half-sister's the result."

Melissa looked shocked. "That's not a funny joke, Spencer."

"Ask Mom." I said with a jaunty hair flip.

She walked towards Mom's office, but I stopped her. "Oh, and Melissa?"

She shot an angry look in my direction which I took as a cue to continue. "Who's "Tommie xxxx?"

"Sorry?"

"Is he your new boyfriend? So soon after Ian? Wow Melissa, wow. Low standards."

I'd taken the liberty of taking Melissa's SIM card out of her phone and putting the card into my phone. Immediately, a list of contacts appeared, including Tommie's number. I'd sent him a few messages about how what an idiot he was and why Melissa wanted to break up with him. Then, I'd ensured he wouldn't call with a final text on how she never wanted to see him again. Finally, I deleted his number, address, and other little info about him Melissa had put into her phone.

"Tommie is none of your business. How did you know about him, anyways?"

"Oh, he came round here."

"He what?" She snapped.

"He came round here asking for you… So I told him you'll see him later."

She eyed me for a very long time. "If you said anything to him…"

I gave her a horrified look. "With all our family's going to go through now, with Dad leaving and our new sister, isn't it better we would stick together? Don't you think that?"

Melissa paused, gave me a bitter look, and then stormed into Mom's office. I smiled. Part One of my plan to get my life back together was working.

Now for Part Two- seeing Toby again.

**I'm sorry this has taken so long. I have been without internet for a very long time at my holiday house **** PLEASE REVIEW! Cupcakes and cookies and candy to those who do :P oh and also, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all! :D **


	12. Silly Muso

**S****pencer POV**

Toby had texted he wanted to meet me as soon as he got back, and the next day, I was ready for him. A little mascara, a little lipgloss, a little foundation and a good hairwash is the recipe for a Spencer-style doll-up. Yet somehow I wasn't satisfied. I stared at my reflection in the mirror like I'd done so many times, brushing my hair with pursed lips. I had lots on my mind. How creepy A was, for example. His or hers latest cruel trick didn't give me any info to work with. It merely showed they could be a boy, or a girl with a lesbian side.

_A lesbian side_. Is that what I had? A secret little gay side to me that no one, even not me, knew about? A gay side that grew large enough to completely express itself without any reason when I was drunk. And now I was stone cold sober, and for some reason, I'd wanted to keep kissing Emily. For some reason beyond me apart from that I had a gay side. Maybe I was bi? I thought about it for a little while. Sure, I liked Toby, and if I managed to comb through my current confusing muddle of thoughts and actually make sense of my emotions, I may just have liked Emily. May. MAY. I didn't know! I didn't know how I felt about her anymore. Just because of one simple little prank by not A, the ever-present sadistic joke player, but by my sister. And I couldn't exactly go to Melissa and make her feel the consequences of her actions. _Hey, Melissa, that joke was really crap because now I'm scared I actually do have feelings for Emily. _Jesus!

What was I actually dealing with here? What were the actual reasons that I suspected I liked her? That I wanted to keep kissing her. That when I kissed her, despite my initial panic, everything around me seemed to melt and slow down in a way that I'd never felt with anyone else. Not even Toby. When Emily talked about her relationship with Ben, I'd blurted about her having sex, and then felt so surprisingly... venemous about it. Then when she looked at me, and told me she hadn't lost her virginity to him, a shockingly strong wave of relief swept over me, then horror at how I was relieved. And then when Tanya asked me if I was scared she'd steal Emily off me, I'd felt a sudden, unexpected urge to say yes. The idea of Tanya and Emily having a relationship revolted me. At first I thought it was because she could possibly be A, and I instantly wanted to protect Emily. But now, I was scared it was something more.

My phone buzzed, zapping me out of my trance, and I realized I was biting down hard on my lip, with my hands knotted in my hair. I sighed, freeing my hands and quickly wiping the blood from my mouth, as I checked my text. **B ur place in 5- Toby.**

I shook my head, breathed in, applied lipgloss, and swept my phone into my bag. My reflection looked pathetically nervous and I glared at it, and then stood up. I sauntered outside, acting nochalant and casual just as his pick-up truck pulled up outside.

He scrambled out, an eager grin on his face, and I was reminded of a over-enthusiastic puppy as he slammed the door. "Hey, gorgeous." He said happily, jingling the keys in his fingers.

"Hey, handsome." I said back to him, smiling away.

_And yet somehow, in the space of five days, this smile's become fake. And yet somehow, the __compliment falls flat on me. Five days ago my heart would have soared. Now it's just... what is it? Monotonous?_

"So, where do you wanna go?" He beamed, taking a step closer to me.

I smelt strong cologne on him and tried not to cough. Evidently, he was trying hard on this date. I smiled. "Wherever you wanna go."

"I hope you'd say that!" He said, taking my hand and grandly opening the door. "My lady, the carriage awaits." He decreed, with all the cute dorkiness he could muster.

I laughed and hopped in. He crossed round the other side, swung himself in, hit the gas, and we were away.

We ended up driving to Starbucks, getting a caramel frappie for me and a strawberry one for Toby. Then we drove to the park, where we sat, talking and drinking. It was painfully obvious he wanted to kiss me, and for some reason that annoyed me. _Can't he be patient? Can't he just wait?_

He gazed at me lovingly and I gazed back at him, thinking of how I could fall into those eyes. Could. Should. Not would. I would have, a week ago. And now those feelings simply felt like a memory. Like they had mentally curled up and shrunken inside of me. And I was desperately trying to re-awaken them. I tried to simulate the love I could see in his eyes, but I couldn't help but feel like a fake. A liar, a terrier, a thief and now a fake. Argh! Why is life so confusing?

And then, at the end of the date, as he leant in for the kiss, I wrapped my arms around him in an attempt to ignite something. The old sparks which had always flown seemed to fizzle but no longer float beneath my eyelids. The fireworks which seemed to rocket around us spluttered and went out. The butterflies I felt when I saw him made a feeble attempt to flutter, and then simply curled up and dropped dead. It felt like I was kissing my best friend, and for some reason, that felt so wrong. _And yet kissing my best friend actually feels right? Kill me. Please_.

It was almost like I'd loved Toby until I'd realized there was another option. Then I started noticing all the little flaws about him. His dimpled grin looked like a baby's. He was always so dorky, and clumsy, and then didn't say anything for long periods of time. I winced at how selfish, how shallow I was being. Yet it didn't bring my feelings back. He'd somehow morphed into being just a friend so quickly in my emotions. And Emily had morphed into something... something else. I shivered, and then realized I was still kissing him, and broke away. _The fact I can think all this while kissing him stands for something_.

"Bye Toby." I said softly, kissing his forehead, as he climbed back into his van.

And because I'm a good actor, he didn't notice anything. He smiled and blew a kiss, then reversed the van, and drove away. I watched him go with a heavy heart and a bitten lip. "God, if you're up there, show me what to do." I said out loud without realizing.

"Shouldn't use the Lord's name in vain." A voice echoed behind me, and I whipped around to see Tanya standing in _my _doorway.

My fists immediately clenched and anger flashed through me. I glared at her, and she glared back. "What are you _doing _here?" I growled.

"Having some valuable bonding time with your mum and older sister. Care to join us?"

"No. Thanks very much." I said immediately.

She shrugged. "Each to their own. You know, Melissa's really nice and welcoming to me."

"It's a front. Don't worry, she really is a bitch. Like the rest of my damn family." I blurted, sending one last icy glare her way and walking down the driveway.

To my horror, Tanya trotted after me. "Evidently, what I said about you and Emily isn't true. He's obviously your boyfriend."

I said nothing and kept walking. She continued on talking. "Or, you could just be confused and dating him as your cover. I heard they call it a beard. Trying to hide your feelings for Emily by dating a straight guy. Nice one, Spencer. Heartbreaker."

I whipped around, glaring at her. She hadn't so much as touched a raw nerve as grated them into little slices. "I have _no _feelings for Emily, Tanya, so piss off."

"Oooh. Touchy. Then why did you ask me if I was straight, hm?"

I remained silent, heading the way towards Hanna's place. Times like this, I needed someone who knew my situation, even if it was an incredibly sarcastic and sometimes offensive blonde. I was mentally singing loudly to try and block Tanya's words out. But her next sentence rang clear in my mind. "Emily likes me, doesn't she?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about." I immediately said, then cursed myself for replying so quickly.

I could almost sense her smile, despite how creepy that sounds. "Yeah, you do. I've seen the way she looks at me. Cause I look like her long-lost first love. And then you asked me if I'm gay, because you're scared Emily and I would have something. You're scared because you hate me, and you deep down like Emily, but you're scared to admit it."

"None of that is true." I growled.

"Oh yes, it is, and you don't want anyone to know."

Irritating as she was, she did know how to carefully analyze someone's feelings through their actions. But I had to cover all of that up. "Tanya, it's not true, take my word for it. Now, will you please go away. I'm going round to a friend's house, and you can go back and do whatever you want to do."

The idea of her being in my house worried me immensely but I wanted her to leave me alone. I realized she would have access to my room. My laptop. My diary, hidden in the bottom drawer of my shelves, under carefully folded shirts. I almost swore when I thought of what A could do with those goldmines of information. So I wasn't surprised when she sighed, said "Fine. Goodbye, Spencer Nelson." and walked away.

I felt relieved as she walked away, and almost jogged into Hanna's house. Her mom welcomed me as ever, and Hanna immediately came down with a smile and dragged me up into her room. "Just chatting to Aria." She said, opening up a Skype screen with Aria's face on it.

Aria looked unusually anxious, and I smiled at her. "Hey, Aria. What's up?"

"We've just been talking about how her journal's gone missing." Hanna said. "And because Muso is a silly girl, she wrote a whole bunch of things in said journal about A. About Alison. About all of our secrets."

"Oh no Aria." I said, feeling the colour drain from my face and my heart skip a beat.

"Yeah. And the only person who's been in the house all day is Mike, and he denies all knowledge of it." said Aria, looking into the webcam with a truly worried look. "Guys, those had all my sketches in it, everything I know, every little thing about every person. That journal would ruin us if anyone found it."

"Well, we know who's got it, don't we?" Hanna exploded. "A BLOODY DOES!"

"Hanna!" I cried, grabbing her. "Calm down girl. Aria, I have a sneaky feeling Mike has taken it, so go through his backpack. We don't have to assume it's A."

"A is the only person who would take it though!" Hanna snarled. "Why-would-her-brother-take-it-you-stupid-fu-"

"Hanna!" I gasped. "Someone might be getting him to. He might think he could sell the sketches. Or he's just taking it to read it like a nosy brother."

"Hiding it in his backpack would imply he's going to give it to someone." Aria nodded. "Okay, that makes sense. Noel could want it... ohmygod..." She said, going paler.

"Yeah. Noel Kahn. Because he could be A too. Now Hanna, am I stupid now?"

"Yes." Hanna muttered.

"Why?"

"Because you're failing to grasp the enormity of this! If anyone reads it... we are doomed."

"I am grasping the enormity of this." I frowned. "I'm just being rational and level-headed. You should try it sometime."

"That was mean." Aria said, forever sticking up for Hanna.

"I'm a mean person. Aria, go check your brother's backpack."

"Okay. And his drawers and things, while he's out at lacrosse practice. Thanks guys." Aria said, hanging up the video call and logging off.

Hanna gave me a knowledgable look. "So... why did you come here anyways?"

I opened my mouth, then closed it. "Just to be near my bestest buddy?" I dorkily grinned.

"Come on Spence, I don't have all day."

I walked over to her bed, and sat on it. "I need boy advice."

**Hanna POV**

_Goddamnit, I was hoping she was going to say girl advice_, I realized, smiling when I thought of what a cute couple Spencer and Emily would be. _They would be Spemily! Teeheeheehee! _"Fire away." I grinned.

She looked slightly suspiciously at me and sighed, then began. "Have you ever felt... like, boy-wise. Like one day, all your feelings suddenly disappear. You suddenly just think of them as friends, and friends alone. Somehow they aren't the person you loved anymore. Your love for them is just a memory, and you don't know how you could feel that way, anymore."

I was silent as puzzle pieces in my head began clicking together, and she went on. "Like suddenly, when they kiss you, it feels all wrong, and they just seem like friends to you now. Friends and friends alone. You just feel like you've had enough. They don't even feel to you like your ex, they just feel like-"

"YOU'RE SECRETLY IN LOVE WITH EMILY, AREN'T YOU?" I yelled, leaping onto the bed with a psychotic grin.

Spencer gave me a hopeless look which gave me all the info I needed to know. "Okay, so maybe not love but you get what I mean. Yesss! Match-Maker Hanna strikes again!" I hooted, pumping my fist.

"Argh." Spencer said, sinking her head into her hands.

"Okay. Tell me all. Toby seems boring compared to her? True, true. So you're gonna break up with him, and then go in for the kill with Emily. Interesting. Who knew you had a gay side?"

"I didn't." She moaned, from beneath her fingers

"Oh, don't be silly. Of course you did. You had your first kiss with Emily. I suppose, when she came out, we all knew this was coming."

I could see her blush because her ears turned pink, and I smiled. "That's it, isn't it. You felt something in that kiss but you forgot about it because it was just a first kiss. And now when she kisses you, it feels like your first kiss, and everything is new and special. It brings back memories for you. How sweet." I said, fondly.

She didn't say anything so I began questioning. "Seriously, though. Have you ever liked girls before? Thought about them sexually?"

She was silent for a really long time, then sighed. "Just Emily."

"It is possible to go gay for one person in your life, Spence." I smiled.

"Yes, but is that it?"

"Huh." I said intelligently.

"Am I going gay for one person? Or am I going gay for whatever girl chooses to kiss me? Do I like Emily because I feel guilty about her liking me? Am I simply having feelings for her, because she kissed me, is the main question."

I suddenly had a mad idea. A crazy idea, a insane idea, a mentally unstable idea. A Hanna Idea, as Aria calls them. And because my ideas are so fabulous, they always work. I raised an eyebrow at Spencer, then quickly leaned forward and kissed her on the mouth.

For a couple of seconds shock froze her, and then she quickly pulled away so fast she fell off my bed. I watched amusedly as she crashed onto the floor, and then struggled to get up. "What-the-hell-was-that?" She spluttered

I shrugged. "D'you have feelings for me now?" I asked, grinning madly.

She looked open-mouthed at me. "I HAVE FEELINGS THAT YOU NEED MENTAL HELP!"

"Answer the question, Nerdlet."

"No! God no!"

"But... But I... I love you." I said, in a hopeless way, generating tears in my eyes, trying to look wounded.

"What?"

"I have feelings for you... Spencer." I said in a quiet, hurt tone. "Do you have feelings for me?"

Spencer sat, looking horrified. "Uh..."

"Please say you do." I pleaded, ducking my head like I didn't want her to see me cry. "Please, please."

"Please say you're faking this."

"How could I fake?" I asked, avoiding her eye, looking as injured as possible.

"Hanna, I... I really don't have feelings for you... I'm sorry." She said, looking stricken.

"There you go." I grinned., snapping out of the jilted-lover act. "Solved two problems for you. A, you don't like her just cause you kissed her, and B, you don't like her just cause you feel sorry for her. Aren't I a great actress?"

She looked completely dazed, and then her expression turned murderous. "I'm going to kill you."

"But Spencer, I think I'm in lov-"

"I'm going to kill you."

"It was a unique way of solving a problem, give me that."

"After I kill you."

"I just helped you with your problems!"

"You're Dr. Killed."

I gave her a look that could be summed up in one word- WTF. She shrugged. "You know, like Doctor Phil. Doctor Killed. Ha ha."

"That was one of the worst jokes I've ever heard, and I've heard Aria's jokes."

"Now that's just cruel."

"You deserve it."

I laughed at her expression, and then thought of how Emily would object to me kissing Spencer. _Poor Emily, in the hospital. I wonder what she would do if she could hear what Spencer's saying!_

**Emily POV**

I woke up from a long nap suddenly, jolting awake, sprinting from the realms of sleep due to a nightmare. The same as the last time I slept, kissing Ali who morphs into Tanya and you know where it goes from there. I yawned, rubbed my eyes, and thought happily of how I was getting out soon. It would be two weeks before the cast was off, but I'd be getting out tomorrow. _Two weeks to make a sex tape with Spencer. Hooray_.

I noticed a tray attached to my bed, with a card and flowers on it. The usual Get Well Soon stuff. I pushed my hair back with my hand, grabbed the card, and opened it. And then felt an overwhelming urge to vomit.

Inside were printed-out, glued pictures, of Spencer and I kissing. Different angles, different positions. A hadn't taken just the one photo, obviously. Some were in colour, some were in black and white. I shuddered as I realized there were about twenty cut out photos in the card, and threw it away from me. Shivers ran up my spine as I glanced at the flowers.

They were black roses. The exact kind we'd laid on Ian's grave. I knew exactly what they meant- death. As I gingerly picked them up, a tag dropped neatly into my lap. I picked it up with shaking hands.

**Aria's taken care of, as are you and Spencer... guess who's next! You'll need these soon. Kisses, A. **

**I haven't updated for ages because I have no Internet at my bach :( I'm so sorry reviewers! I would have done but lack of internet prevented me. If it's any comfort, more chapters coming soon! What's A gonna do to Hanna? Who has Aria's journal? And... Spemily xD keep the reviews coming, reading them makes my day! :D **


	13. Han, We're Not Going To A Strip Club

**Hanna POV**

Emily was lying on her bed, her pink cast stuck out straight in front of her, looking anxious. Spencer entered the room after me, and as I watched her interestedly, her eyes immediately went staight to Emily. And then you could just cut the sexual tension in the air with a knife as Emily gazed straight back at her, with a cutey-patootey little smile teasing the corner of her mouth, the anxious look wiped clean off her face. Spencer blushed and glanced away, biting her lip to stop her from grinning. I shook my head and waggled my finger at the both of them. "You have to promise to stop undressing each other with your eyes once Muso comes in." I scolded.

Spencer froze and went even redder, whereas Emily laughed and avoided my eye. "I know that was exactly what you were doing, Miss Emily Fields. You can't fool me. As for you, Miss Spencer Hastings, I noticed all the condoms in your wallet have gone. Guess you don't really need them anymore... hm?"

Emily's eyebrows skyrocketed as Spencer flushed a vibrant shade of tomato. "Remind me never to trust you with a secret, again, Hanna." She growled.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Did I say something wrong?" I said innocently.

"You had condoms in your wallet... in the first place?" Emily asked, sounding ever so slightly horrified.

Spencer sighed. "Well, you know, Toby and I... Pish."

Was that my matchmaker instincts kicking in, or did I see a small flash of jealousy in Emily's eyes? It disappeared quickly, however, as Aria strolled in, nervously running her hands through her hair. "Emily! Gosh! How are you? Glad to see you're out of the hospital! That cast is nice! Can I sign it? When did you get back? It's great to see you looking healthy again! Well, apart from the broken leg, but you know-"

She was interrupted by a worried-looking Spencer. "Aria, how much coffee have you had today?"

"She drinks coffee when she's nervous. Cue, hyper Muso. Aria, come sit down... yeah?" I said, guiding Muso to Emily's chair.

My short friend was practically vibrating with hyper. "Okay! Sitting down is cool! Let's sit down! Everybody! Down! Sit!"

Emily looked blankly at her as Spencer held her hands up in defence. "Okay... sitting down."

She sat next to Emily, stretching her long pale legs out beside her, and Em's eyes flicked to her with a look of undeniable pleasure. I seated Aria into the chair and calmly backed away, ensuring I made no sudden movemts. I'd known Muso long enough to know that when she had too much coffee, sudden movements and loud noises made her go into hyperdrive. Like the time before our school exams, when some joker decided it would be really funny to pull the fire alarm. While everyone quickly and calmly stood up and evacuated, Aria ran out so fast- in a panicked frenzy- she thudded into the side of the door and fell over backwards onto a row of desks, sending everything flying. She gave herself a minor concussion, and Emily and I had to drag her out of the building to proper medical attention. That did looked plenty suspicious. Especially when Ezra turned up and I was busy slapping Aria across the face to wake her up, screaming "ARIA I SWEAR TO GOD IF YOU DON'T WAKE UP I'M GOING TO HAVE TO GIVE YOU THE KISS OF LIFE! WOULD YOU LIKE THAT? NO! NO YOU WOULD NOT!"

I'm not really good when it comes to handling situations with unconcious people.

I shuddered at the memory of Ezra's appalled face and realized I was still standing. Aria was eyeballing me icily. "Why aren't you sitting, Hanna?"

I froze, slowly sitting as Aria stared me down. "Okay. I'm sitting. See? Everyone's sitting."

"Good." Aria nodded. "So! Emily! Why are we all here? I mean, it's not like we need a reason, we are your friends and stuff, but you said SOS! SOS means help! SOS means something important! Is it something important! I hope it is!"

Emily nodded. "It is. When I was in the hospital, I received these from a certain A."

We watched as she leant across and pulled out a bouquet of black roses. Spencer's eyebrows screwed up. "Black roses implies a funeral."

"Exactly what A thought." Emily said coldly. "It came with a tag attached. Here." She said, chucking it to me. "Hanna, please don't freak out."

I gave her a confused glance and then read the tag. Ten seconds later, my heart seemed to stop. Adrenaline suddenly gushed through my veins as I froze, trying not to hyperventilate at what I saw. "That's a threat..." I whispered.

Aria leant in to see it, and let out a low whistle as I tried to stop myself from trembling. "Hanna... Oh my god!"

"Exactly. So, I'm thinking, until we know it's safe, you might have to be in home detention for a while, Hanna." Emily explained, sounding really worried.

I was so distraught I barely saw the long eye contact between Spencer and Emily, and the small movement of Spencer's hand reaching to take Emily's. In a normal time, I would have winked and made sexual noises, but right now I was too damn scared to do anything. I breathed hard, staring at the tag. "Okay. No going out for me." I murmured.

"You can come round to our houses, of course, but if we drive you." Spencer suddenly cut in. "But it's best if you stay at home mostly, invite Caleb over to yours and things like that. Don't stay home alone, however. If you feel scared always phone one of us, yeah?"

"Of course." I nodded, trying vainly to make colour return to my face.

There was a pause, until suddenly Aria wrapped her arms around me. "You're gonna be okay, Hanna. It's A making veiled threats!"

I sighed and returned the hug, which Spencer decided to leap off the bed to join, as Emily sat on the bed hopelessly. "Gee, guys, I'm feeling some love over here." She said sarcastically.

We all laughed and got up, then all had a group hug together. I smiled, and found there to be a lump in my throat. _God, I love them all so much. What would I do without them?_

As we broke apart, Aria cleared her throat. "However, this does mean A has taken my diary. You saw the tag. But the thing is... Spencer was right!"

She'd broken out of her hyper state through the sudden threat of death, I was pleased to see, and looked at her. "Que?"

"What?"

"Precisely."

Aria looked completely confused until Emily rolled her eyes. "Que means what in Spanish, Aria. Now what was Spencer right about now? Apart from everything, that is."

I raised my eyebrows at the superbly blatant flirting, as Emily and Spencer had yet another session of very intense eye contact and Aria noticed nothing. "There is so much sexual tension between you two I may just self combust." I muttered.

"Huh?"

"Nothing. Go on, Aria."

Aria sighed, then began. "I found... my diary."

The three of us sighed in relief. "Where was it?"

Aria looked pale and very worried indeed. "Inside Mike's backpack. We had a conversation. He said..."

**Aria POV**

"_Mike!" I yelled, brandishing my diary in one hand and his backpack in the other as I cannonballed my way into his room. _

_He whipped around from looking at his computer screen, and then froze. "Aria, what are you..."_

"_What the HELL was my diary doing in your backpack?" I spat, glaring at him as I chucked the backpack straight at him._

_He flinched and caught it. "Aria, calm down, I can-"_

"_Explain. Yeah, you can explain. Right here and right now."_

_He took a deep breath, and I realized my hands were balling into fists at my side. "You know how Mum and Dad are making me pay compensation money to the families who I stole stuff off?"_

_I nodded. "Yes." _

"_Well, someone told me you'd stolen a book of theirs. A book they wanted back. They offered to pay me a _lot _of money in order to return said book to them. They told me where it was and all. I wasn't going to do it in the first place, but they seemed so sure about it, they knew exactly where it was, I felt like I should. I didn't know it was your diary. Honest."_

_I knew Mike like the back of my hand- he was my brother after all. So I could tell exactly when he was lying. And right now, he was telling the truth. "Mike." I said steadily, trying to calm myself, "Who was it? Who asked you to take my diary?"_

_He looked scared and worried, brushing his hair with his hand. "I can't say. They said they'd kill me if you found out already, Aria."_

_I felt the icy cold hands of dread seize me, and I prayed he wasn't dealing with who I thought he was dealing with. "Mike, tell me, was it a boy or a girl?"_

_He looked at me fearfully. "I can't tell you."_

"_Mike, you have to. This is really, really important. I need to know."_

"_But Aria..."_

"_Boy or girl?" I said, with a plummeting feeling. _

_He was silent for ages, then met my eyes with dark ones. "Girl." He whispered. _

"_Thank you." I said quietly, and then left the room. _

I recounted the conversation to my three friends. Emily looked shocked. Hanna looked scared. And because Spencer is just, well, Spencer, she had a utterly triumphant look on her face. "So A is a girl."

"It appears so." I muttered, wondrous at this new information we had.

"So it could be Tanya. Couldn't be Noel Kahn or any other malewho we've suspected in the past. Garret, Jason, etc. That narrows the list down." Spencer said with a evilly victorious smile on her face.

I nodded and we stayed in silence for a while. Then my phone beeped. Three faces turned to me in horror. I took a deep breath and opened the message.

**Oh, you think you're so clever, don't you? Watch out. My revenge will be swift. **

**-A**

"Well fuck me." Hanna breathed. "A's gonna kill us all!"

"Don't be a pessimist." Emily replied instantly. "We just need to stay together right now. Hanna, that means no wild tent adventures with Caleb. Aria, that means no careering off to see Ezra in the middle of the night. Will he understand if you're away from him for a while?"

I shrugged. "I'll make up an explanation. I'm sorry, but my life and my friend's lives comes slightly before seeing him. Ever so slightly."

"Gee thanks." Hanna muttered, who looked grumpy at the prospect of not seeing Caleb.

"And Spencer. Stop your detective work." Emily scolded, tapping Spencer's nose. "We've got all the info we need. We just need to be safe."

Spencer screwed up her face but oddly didn't object. "Well, Emily, I suppose I should tell you to stay away from Maya for a bit." She said coolly.

Emily looked straight at her, with a gaze of I-don't-know-what-you're-talking-about. Then she simply raised her eyebrows, tilted her head in a way that made her seem completely uncaring. Spencer's eyes suddenly flashed with undefinable emotion, and then it was locked behind iron doors once more. I put on my best suspicious face. "Something's going on between you two... what's up?"

"Nothing." Spencer and Emily said together, looking perfectly innocent.

Hanna scoffed, then abruptly turned the sound into a cough when I looked at her. I reasoned that they would tell me if it was truly important, so I shrugged. "OK. Well, sorry to disappoint you all but I have to go. Orthodontist appointment."

Hanna turned to me. "I've got to go home. Maybe persuade Caleb to come over while Mom's at work. Can you give me a lift to my place, Aria?"

"Great idea, you two." Spencer beamed. "See ya round!"

I found it a little suspicious how Spencer didn't even move from Emily's side, but I decided not to question it. They had to sort out whatever friendship issues they had by themselves. However, as Hanna hopped into my car, I cast a steely gaze at her. "What's going on between Spencer and Emily? _You _know."

Hanna looked my way and shrugged. "I suppose you may as well know. They are both hopelessly in love with each other and they can't see it. They're probably making out right now as we speak."

I rolled my eyes. "God, Hanna, no need to be such a bitch about it!"

Hanna looked puzzled. "But-"

"Next time, you can just tell me you can't tell me what it is, okay? No need to make up stupid stories."

Hanna gave me a look of bewilderment, then rolled her own eyes. "Fine. Okay. No more stupid stories."

"Thank you." I muttered, pulling the car out of the street and into the road.

**Emily POV**

"Why are you staying here, Spencer?" I idly asked as we heard Aria's car rumble into life. "Haven't you got somewhere to be?"

Spencer sighed, then turned to face me, and I found myself gazing at her face like I'd never seen it before. Her perfectly plucked eyebrows, her clear olive skin, her eyes rimmed ever so slightly with eyeliner, her tall cheekbones and flawlessly curved lips. I mentally slapped myself for being such a creepy pervert and just looked at her eyes instead. "Actually." She said quietly "I'd rather be with you. And there's something I have to say to you."

I tilted my head curiously, as she scrambled into a sitting upright position and took my hand. "I... It's not easy." She mumbled.

"The normally masterfully eloquent Spencer Hastings taken down to "It's not easy"? Wow. It must really be hard." I teased, but she didn't smile.

She gripped my hand, took a breath, opened her mouth, then closed it. "It's really in fact quite hard."

"Whatever it is, I'm your best friend, Spence. You can tell me."

She looked directly into my eyes, which oddly sent chills down my spine. And I had the feeling it did the same to her, because she looked away and shivered slightly. "I've broken up with Toby." She said hoarsely.

"What?" I exclaimed, sitting up as much as I could with my cast. "But, Spencer, you're in love with him! Why would you do a stupid thing like that?"

"Because I-"

"My GOD Spencer! He's your one and only! You said so! Why the... what the... what drug are you on?"

"Emily, please-"

"Pick up that phone, right now, and phone him, and say you want him back! You said there was no other. You are completely in love with him! Nothing should tear you two apart!"

"Funny you'd say that cause-"

"I am being serious! Did you two have a fight? A lovers tiff? Oh, those can be resolved, everything can be put back to the way it was, Spencer! It doesn't change anything! Is he seeing someone else? Cause I can assure you he still loves you!"

"Emily will you just-"

"You two have something so real, and I won't let it go to waste! Argh! Why? Why did you break up with him, Spencer? Tell me!" I demanded.

"BECAUSE I LOVE SOMEONE ELSE!" She suddenly yelled, obviously sick of me interrupting.

I paused, unsure of what I just heard. "Huh?"

"I, I like someone else." She stammered, staring at her hand wrapped around mine.

A glimmer of hope emerged within me, a tiny spark which refused to be stamped out. I clung onto it desperately, knowing it was all I had. "You said love before."

"I thought you didn't hear."

"I heard. So who is this person? Special enough to change your feelings about Toby?"

"Very much so." She said quietly, looking a bit ashen. She straightened up, and tried to smile but instead looked faintly sick. "Emily, I... Ever since you kissed me... I... And it's different, and I just want to say I..."

The spark of hope jumped slightly when I tried to understand what she was saying, but I had to keep it belted down, keep everything under control, pretend I didn't understand, when my heart was preparing to skip beats, when my stomach was ready to flip-flop, when fireworks were wanting to rocket around me. "What are you trying to say, Spencer?" I asked, hoping fully she was trying to say what I thought she was.

She looked at me desperately, but just uttered monosyllabic meaningless things, like a broken record. "I, I, I..."

"Spencer." I squeezed her hand, trying to ignore the fluttering in my chest. "Who is this special someone?"

And there I was, preparing for her to mutter a name unknown to me, trying to quench the flaming sparks firing in my belly. I was expecting "Wren" or "Noel Kahn" or even scarily "Sean Ackard", but at the same time, praying she was going to say what I so desperately wanted her to say. I was fighting to keep my heartbeat under control with all this suspense. And then she met my eyes evenly, took a deep breath, flipped her hair calmly, and said "You.".

And with that one word, my heart seemed to spring out from my chest, and crazy butterflies exploded within my stomach. I tried to act like her words didn't have any effect, but I realized I was shaking with anticipation and cursed myself for doing so. Now I was the nervous one, the stuttering one, the one who was finding it difficult to say anything. "M-me?" I stumbled across my words.

"Ever since you kissed me... I definitely felt something. And after I kissed you, kissing Toby felt wrong in comparison. We went out on a date and it felt completely weird. It's taken me a while to sort out how I felt, but being with you feels natural and right, and something I should do, and something I want. I'm sorry that I rejected you that first kiss, but it took me being drunk to realize that I, I really like you, and I really like it when you kiss me."

Her words didn't so much as touch me as thud deep within my body, like flaming arrows pinning me to the cushions. The arrows spread their fire within me, warm and healing rather than harsh and burning. I felt fuzzy, bubbly, drunk, high, whatever you want to call it. My head spun, my hands were shaking, and yet I felt crazily alive. "You mean that?" I stupidly asked, seeming to trip over my leaden tongue.

"Why would I say it if I didn't mean it?" Spencer asked me, her eyes scanning my face for emotion which I was sure was bubbling out over my face. But when I paused, wanting confirmation, she sighed. "Yes. I meant it. It's 100% true. I... I dumped Toby for you."

I sat staring at her with my mouth open, and I couldn't fight my emotions anymore. I smiled big, and goddamnit, felt tears prick my eyes, which I quickly blinked away. "Oh Spencer, I feel the exact same way." I said happily, swallowing down the lump in my throat.

She smiled nervously, which evolved into a beam as I sat up as much as I could, squeezing her hand. "I thought there was no way you could be gay." I said, trying to stop my grin from consuming my whole face.

"Yeah... well, your kisses got the better from me. And they made me see you in that 've always been my closest and best friend, and I've always loved you a lot, but this is new." Spencer said slowly, then blushed, and my heart practically did a backflip.

I ducked my head in embarassed joy, and it was that exact moment she sat up onto her knees, leaned forward and kissed me full on the lips. I closed my eyes, feeling nothing but pure happiness seep through me as I let go of her hand and allowed my fingers to dance through her hair. I breathed in, as she opened her mouth and I curiously slipped my tongue inside. She made a surprised sound, but quickly masked it. Then I bit down hard on her bottom lip and she moaned, causing a smile from me against her lips. And before I knew it, her hands were playing with the hem of my shirt, her fingers causing small wildfires against my skin. As she yanked it up slightly, I slid lower down onto the bed.

And finally, as her hand touched my bra, and I breathed in with astonishment, there came a knock on the door. Spencer's hand whipped out of there so quick it whacked against my legs, and she rolled off me abruptly. I pulled my top down and repositioned myself on the bed while Spencer flipped herself into a sitting position beside me. "Yes?" I called out, sounding completely angelic.

"Emily, do you and Spencer want anything to drink or anything?" My mom called, and I had to bite my lip to stop from giggles emerging.

I looked to Spencer and she shook her head. "No, we're good, thank you anyways, Mom." I said politely.

I heard her footsteps depart down the stairs, and I shook my head at Spencer. "We cannot make out when my mom's here. That was a close one."

"All right." She said, and I detected a trace of disappointment in her voice.

"I mean it." I emphasised.

"I know you do." She sighed, looking down.

I realized she was trying to guilt trip me and frowned at her. "You're not going to change my mind!"

"No, I suppose I'm not." She shrugged, layering on the self-pity.

Ten seconds of silence passed before I rolled my eyes, growling at her sad expression. "I really hate it when you guilt trip me."

"Guilt trip? Huh?" She said innocently.

"Fuck you." I moaned, glaring at her, then leant in as far as I could and gently kissed her.

She returned it, and I could feel her smirking, so lifted up my arm and lovingly whacked her across the back of her tousled head. As we broke apart, I shook my head at her, and stood up. "Right. I'm going to ask my mom something."

"What?"

"When she gets out of the house." I murmured, folding my arms with a small smile.

"Good." She grinned charmingly, and in that instant, I was ridiculously tempted to kiss her again.

But I turned on my heel and marched out of the room, carefully shut the door behind me, and stood there, marvelling at my luck. My back was to the wall, and I slid down it slightly, punching my fist in the air several times with a jubilant grin. "Yes, yes, yes." I hissed to myself.

Then, like a normal person, I got up and walked downstairs. Well, kind of skipped. And bounced quite a bit. And grinned like a lunatic. And there may even have been an incident where I attempted to dougie. But since I'm not the most talented dancer, I stopped it immediately.

Yes. Stopped it immediately.

No, I wasn't singing.

I have no idea what you're talking about.

**Spencer POV**

I sat on Emily's bed, with a crooked smile on my face, tracing the pattern on her duvet. I could hear her singing merrily despite how she'd closed the door, and it made me laugh how damn dorky she was. _Yeah, she's dorky. And cute. And of that, I'm sure_.

It had taken me a whole night of no sleep, and hard thinking, but now I was sure of what I had wanted. Hanna had helped a teensy bit, though I'd never admit it. The first thing that morning, I'd phoned Toby and told him that "I'm sorry, I don't feel it anymore.". Perfectly reasonable excuse, and he seemed to get the gist pretty quickly. I know he'd be heartbroken, but I tried to put that out of my mind. I had a new experience to move on with now. Thank God for my friends.

I'd phoned Hanna in the middle of the night, after lying on my bed with my laptop, writing points and feelings. That's how I do things, emotionally. She picked up after only three rings. _"I'm guessing you can't sleep either, Nerdlet."_

"_Stop calling me that. I need advice. Again."_

"_Emily. Right. Do you still feel worried that you like her just cause you feel guilty?"_

"_Pretty much."_

"_So my kiss didn't mean anything." She whined._

"_Your kiss may have given me permanent brain damage and mental scarring."_

"_Yay! At least it meant something."_

"_Hanna, back to situation at hand."_

"_Right. Okay. Do you want a Hanna solution to this problem, or a normal solution?"_

"_Normal solution, please. Hanna solutions nearly always involve R-rated things."_

"_That was just cruel."_

"_Normal solution!"_

_She sighed, and I could practically hear her thinking. "I'd advise trying to view girls in that way. Like, go hang out at a mall or something, and look at some girls, and see what your thoughts are."_

"_God." I murmured. "Right. Can we do that tomorrow?"_

"_Sure, we should make it a group activity and bring Muso. Shopping! With the added bonus of Spencer perving on girls!"_

"_Shut up."_

"_But the Hanna solution, we could easily have that done tonight."_

_I muttered something very offensive about the Hanna solutions under my breath. "You're dying for __me to ask what the Hanna solution is."_

"_Yep."_

"_What is it?"_

"_We go to a strip club! Yay!"_

"_HANNA!" I yelled down the phone. "That is so not a good idea."_

"_I'll swing past your place in five."_

"_Hanna, no, I am not going to a strip club."_

"_Fine." She huffed. "We can do the namby-pamby approach. You wimp."_

"_Good. I prefer namby-pamby approaches."_

_There was a silence, and then several clicks on Hanna's end. "Oooh. There's another approach. You might even like this one."_

"_Go on." _

"_I ask you these easy-peasy questions, and we go from there."_

"_Did you just Google "how to tell if you're a lesbian"?"_

"_No..."_

_"You are a horrible liar and a bitch."_

"_Love you too. So, I am now Dr Phil. How did you feel when Emily kissed you?"_

"_The Texas accent isn't working, Han."_

"_Answer me."_

_I found myself reddening already and mentally growled at myself. "I dunno... nice? Happy?"_

"_Good. And then you said with Toby, your feelings had died."_

"_Mmmph." I said miserably. _

"_Now this is an interesting question. Has there ever been a close friend you've felt extra possesive, or protective of? Did you want to be their "best friend forever", as I'm going to put it? Did you ever think about something more?"_

_I raised my eyebrows, then realized she couldn't see me. "Whoa. Good question."_

"_Answer it, then."_

"_I guess I sort of have felt protective of Emily... When she was dating Paige I actually felt really __angry for no particular reason." I realized out loud. "I've always really hated to see her get hurt. Every time she did hurt herself... it would hurt me. I did kind of want to be close to her, and we were. So I was happy?"_

_Hanna chuckled to herself. "This is getting _good_. I need to grab my popcorn."_

"_Shut up."_

"_You got it. Did you ever think about something more?"_

"_Gah! I don't think so. And if I did, I can't remember."_

"_What about when she came out?"_

_I froze, staring at the phone. "Huh?"_

"_Just being curious. How did you feel when she came out?"_

"_Happy..." I trailed off, realizing how it sounded. "Oh, uhrm, I mean happy she wanted to... Ahg! No! That sounds so bad! I just have too many feelings!"_

"_You were happy." Hanna said, sounding satisfied. _

"_Happy she got to express herself! I mean, I don't think I was happy she was gay. I don't think..." I became lost in thought, realizing I actually didn't know. _

"_Have you ever been attracted to a girl's personality?"_

"_Girls are nice..." I mused. "Nicer actually than a lot of guys to be honest." And then I realized how that sounded again. "Oh my god! That sounded wrong! Yes, I like girl's personalities."_

"_Interesting." Hanna laughed. "What about Emily's personality?"_

"_I thought once she would be an amazing girlfriend for anyone to have." I muttered. _

"_Even more interesting! And this is a fascinating question- ever watched lesbian porn?"_

"_Ew! I hate porn of any kind. You made me watch Two Girls One Cup. Does that count?"_

"_Your face was priceless during that." I could practically hear her smirk through the phone. _

"_It was the most disgusting thing I'd ever seen. Next question."_

"_So when people are changing for PE, have you ever looked around the locker room?"_

_I thought for a bit. "How bad does it sound if that's a yes?"_

"_It sounds positively bisexual."_

"_No, but, but, but..." I thumped my head against a pillow. "I wasn't doing it for that!"_

"_Then what were you doing it for?"_

_"I don't know." I growled frustratedly. "Is this test over yet?"_

"_What do you think of homophobes?"_

"_I hate them." I said without thinking._

"_Because they'd hurt Emily."_

"_You know me too well." I smiled._

"_Not for any other reasons?"_

"_No, I just think ignorant people should be disregarded, to be honest."_

"_Disregarded because they don't know what it's like?"_

"_Yes." I said immediately, then realized. "Don't put words into my mouth, Hanna!"_

"_Sorry." She said, but she didn't mean it. "What do you find most attractive, male or female anatomy?"_

"_Ew."_

"_Answer me."_

"_Ew."_

"_You have to answer."_

"_To be honest I find penises pretty gross." I shuddered. "Actually, I find both pretty gross. Next."_

"_Bet you didn't find Toby's gross."_

"_I said next."_

"_When people are in bikinis, do you look at them?"_

_I was silent for a while. "I do... without really realizing. Is it bad?"_

"_Nah, just means you're gay."_

"_Hanna!"_

"_Okay, okay. End of test. Nerdlet, it sounds to me like you're bi-curious."_

"_I knew you'd say that no matter what I got."_

"_Hey, think about my questions. And think about your answers. And think about what it felt like to kiss Em, yeah? It sounds to me like you're mostly into guys, but a little bit into girls. Don't box yourself."_

"_For once Han, you're actually giving decent advice."_

"_That's what I'm here for. But I've got to sleep. Night, Nerdlet."_

"_Night Han." I smiled._

_And then stayed up all night thinking about what she said. _

**There we have it! I wrote this all in one night and made it extra long... review! What's A got planned for Hanna? I hope you guys appreciate the dedicatedly written Spemily :P review, as ever :) and for a limited time only... If you review, you receive this:**

**This...**

**Uhhh...**

…

**Hm.**

**I'll come back to that later. **

_REVIEW!_


	14. The Big Big BIG Cliffhanger

**Emily POV**

"Stop it..." I said with a undertone to my voice, glaring at her.

"Stop what?" She asked, angelically.

"You know exactly what I am talking about." I growled, though it was hard to remain serious when Spencer had her head buried in my neck.

"Your hair smells damn good." She muttered.

"I mean it, Spencer. We have to get ready for this rave. You invited me, remember?"

"Why is it so important?" She questioned, peeling herself away, without any hint of annoyance, just a mellow nature which was decidedly, yet pleasingly, un-Spencer-y.

"I was hoping you'd ask me that." I grinned. "I've been thinking. Cody Linford is a year below us, and tight with Aria's younger brother, Mike."

"So...?" Spencer asked, shrugging, and I smirked, with the knowledge for once in my life I'd outsmarted her.

"So, we need to go so we can monitor what Mike does. He's probably going to meet the girl he was talking about there!"

Spencer looked on the brink of realization, and slowly nodded. "Oh. How do we know he's going to meet the girl there?"

"He hasn't been out of the house since Aria confronted him, as she says. A party would be the ideal way to meet up, don't you think."

The familiar inquisitive fire lit up in her eyes and I knew her ever-present detective side was having a ball with this plan. "Em, you're a genius."

"And don't you ever forget it, Spencer the Tank Engine."

She chuckled, leant in and kissed me. We'd been doing a lot of that in the past hour. My mom had a facial appointment, and as she was safely out of the house, we had been kissing like there was no tomorrow. But all good things must come to an end. She pulled away, a sleepy look of concern on her face. "I have to go home and get changed. These aren't exactly party clothes."

She was wearing a blue cotton shirt with the sleeves rolled up, cropped dark jeans, and had been wearing a black blazer which was currently lying on the floor, next to her leather satchel. A golden anchor locket necklace hung from her neck, and out of curious, I took it gently in my hands and popped it open. Inside was a photo of her and Toby, grinning shyly, on their first date. I intriguedly looked at her, wondering what she would do next.

She glanced down, cupped the locket in her hand, and glanced at me. "Jealous?" She asked, with a smirk in her voice.

"Course not." I murmured innocently, but couldn't help but feel a thrill when she took the photo out and chucked it into my bin.

"You could borrow some of my clothes." I thought out loud. "I've been preparing something but I have a spare shirt."

"What've you got prepared?"

"I'll show you." I smiled with pride, slipped off the bed, and dramatically swung my closet open.

I grabbed a plain white tank top, hung up in the middle of the closet, and wiggled it at her. She screwed her eyebrows up. "What's so special about that?"

I crossed the room in a few easy strides, whisked the curtain shut, and closed the door. My handiwork was shown impressively in the accompanying gloom. The shirt burst into life- shades of splattered orange, splotches of neon green, with stripes of highlighted purple and even a few dashes of bright red in there. Spencer raised her eyebrows in pleasant surprise. "Wow, Em! That's amazing! Where'd you buy it?"

"I didn't buy it." I said shyly. "I made it. I can make you one right now if you want, you can wear it to the rave."

"Awesome." Spencer breathed. "How do you make it?"

I reached into my closet and pulled out a big bulk box of glow sticks. "Crack em open and spill them all over the shirt." I smiled at the simplicity of it. "Here's a shirt."

She grabbed it out of the air eagerly as I laid out newspapers on the floor and handed her a glow stick. "Spray away."

She cracked a purple one in half with childish glee and spilt it over the T-shirt in a circular pattern, then repeated so with a blue and a orange one. I watched daydreaming, missing the suddenly evil look that flashed across Spencer's face. She quickly jumped up and before I knew it, she'd poured the blue one all down my hair. I gasped with surprise. "Spencer!" I yelled in horror.

She giggled mischeviously, scrambling backwards as fluorescent blue goo dripped down my black waves. I tried to wipe it off but the liquid clung to my hands in bright blue strings. I outragedly gazed at her, and then picked up a bright red one, jumping onto the bed as she screamed and tried to duck for cover. But I grabbed her head, snapped the glowstick and poured the goo over her with evil laughter. She screamed even louder, as I let go of her and she simply sank to the ground, laughing so hard her shoulders were shaking in between shrieks.

I laughed too, laughed until my belly hurt and my cheeks ached, until I practically felt sick. Then we got up, found that happily the goo did come off under water, rinsed our hair, kissed, got dressed, did makeup, kissed, called Aria, decorated our shirts that tiny bit more, kissed, and then left for the rave.

Cody Linford's place was transformed. Glowing paper lanterns were hanging from every available spot in his huge front yard, as we could see from outside his house, despite tall gates. As we strolled in, the place was already blaring music, and people were running around and dancing madly in the fading light. Spencer's hand knotted through mine, and I turned to smile warmly at her. She was so forward and brave with all of this- the entire gay thing, even though she'd only realized it last night, she told me. But that was Spencer. Forward and brave about everything. She'd force anyone to accept anything about her, or she'd leave them in the dust.

We voyaged into the house together, stepping past couples making out and a group of too-young looking guys playing beer pong enthusiastically. Aria spotted us, and waved, jogging towards us on her short little legs. "Hey guys. I was just talking to Noah Kahn."

"Noah's at this party?" Spencer asked, immediately wary.

"Yeah, wanted to know if I was going to get into singing. He offered me a place in a band he's starting up!" She grinned, bouncing on the balls of her feet with uncontained joy.

"Great!" I grinned, genuinely happy for her. "That's so cool, Aria. Has he written any songs for you?"

"No, he was thinking of starting off by doing a few covers and putting them on YouTube, and then starting off writing once he got enough YouTube subscribers. But I told him I have a couple of songs and he said he'd be really interested to hear them!"

"You have songs?" Spencer asked, interestedly. "They aren't about a certain "A", are they?"

Aria shook her head. "No. And even if there were, I wouldn't show them to him. So, Mike-watching shall commence. He's playing with those guys at the beer pong right now."

I glanced over my shoulder at the young guys and spied Mike's downy brown hair amongst them, juggling two balls in his hands and laughing loudly. Quickly, I turned back and nodded at Aria. "Yeah. We'll chill around here until he will get a text or something. Then he'll most likely move out to go see A."

Aria smiled in agreement. "Exactly. So, guys. Fancy some drinks?"

"Yeah, some Sauvignon Blanc would be nice." Spencer smiled.

Aria looked blank. Spencer sighed. "Whatever's there. I don't think you know what Sauvignon Blanc is, do you?"

"Nah. Em, you too?"

"Yep." I smiled, and watched her go, then turned to Spencer. "What is Sauvignon Blanc?"

"A green-skinned grape which originates from the Bordeaux region of France. Famous for aromatic qualities, with rich notes of capsicum, gooseberry and passionfruit."

"How the hell does a wine have capsicum in it?"

"Well, it's because-"

She was cut across as I felt a tap on my back and whipped around. A tall, and stunningly gorgeous girl stood behind me with a flirtatious smile on her face. She was pale, with red streaks dyed through her straight black hair and brilliant green eyes lined heavily by eyeliner. Her smile was crooked, emphasising the silver stud in her lip, and as my eyes wandered, I noticed the three silver rings in her ear. She was dressed in a cropped top with the USA flag on it, tight black jeans, and a black leather jacket. "Hey, you're Emily, right?"

I looked at her curiously and nodded. "Yes, I am. How do you know me?"

She smiled and the lip piercing rolled distractingly. "I'm a friend of Maya's. We went to rehab camp together. She wouldn't stop talking about you."

I felt a small glow of warmth at her words, and then realized Spencer was hovering awkwardly next to me. "Uh, cool. What's your name?"

"Jordyn. Would you like to dance?"

I opened my mouth and slowly closed it, wondering what to say. My eyes glanced to Spencer and I saw how carefully she was holding herself, how tense she'd suddenly become. As if just to annoy her, Jordyn grinned. "Maya told me you were single, and I'd never say no to dancing with a beautiful girl."

I could tell Spencer was about to lose it and throttle Jordyn, so I smiled gingerly, and shook my head. "Maya told you wrong. Taken. Sorry."

Jordyn didn't seem put off in any way. "I could change that. C'mon. Just you and me."

Her hand reached for mine, and she took a step forward, just as I trotted back. "I'm sure you could change that." I said coldly, now she was beginning to piss me off. "But I don't want you to. In any way. Got it?"

Spencer's eyebrows skyrocketed and she flushed, as Jordyn finally backed off. "Got it." She said simply, and turned on her heel, strolling away.

I watched her go, rolling my eyes. People who don't take no for an answer really irritate me. "She was pretty." Spencer noted, trying her best to look disinterested.

She was doing a pretty shocking job acting carefree. For a start, her arms were folded and she was standing stiff. "Jealous?" I quipped.

"Not at all. Go dance with her. I don't care." She told her shoes, with a terrible air of nonchalance.

"I'm not going to dance with her Spencer." I said, and her eyes twinkled. "I'm not going to dance with her, because I am taken, or would very much like to be, by someone far more beautiful and interesting."

She blushed, and looked down, but with a smile on her face. "You mean that?"

"Why would I say it if it wasn't true?"

She wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me, despite all the wolf whistles from the pre-pubescent apes playing beer pong, despite the popular snooty girls who stopped and stared, despite the general air of shock around the small gathering in Cody Linford's hall. We only broke away for air a few minutes later, just so I could give the finger to the beer pong apes and smirk at the snooty girls. Spencer beamed at me. "We really need to get a room." She murmured.

"Can't do that. We're on a survelliance mission." I muttered.

Speaking of that, our subject was staring at us with a look that could only be described as bemused arousal. I stared back at Mike and raised my eyebrows, and he looked away, stepping in front of the table and coughing. I really, really hoped that was a ping pong ball in his pocket. And not what I thought it was.

I heard a surprised sound to our left and turned to face it. Aria's face could only have been described as a look of absolute shock. I realized Spencer's arms were still wrapped around my neck and our faces were still very close together. "Hi." I said cheerily, and Spencer gave a mock-innocent grin.

"So Hanna wasn't joking." Aria whispered, standing stock-still.

"No. Whatever Hanna was talking about, she would not have been joking." Spencer smiled, and I couldn't help but beam at Aria's face.

"Frickin hell, how long has this been going on?"

"About four hours to be precise."

Aria's mouth was still open. "I suppose we should have expected this ever since that truth or dare game with Ali." She sighed.

We both nodded. "Fair enough." Spencer added. "All good with it, Muso?"

"Yeah, but, but, but, Spencer?"

"Yes?"

"You're gay?"

"Bi."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"Why wasn't I notified about this?"

"Because I wasn't sure until yesterday?"

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"Aria, your brother is a pervert." I said drily, glimpsing him staring.

She looked that way, frowned at him, and he guiltily turned his back. "Is that a banana in his pocket or was he pleased to see me and Em making out?" Spencer asked.

Aria shivered and looked horrifed, while a drunk jock staggered past, making signs at us with his fingers. "Threesome?" He belched.

"No." Spencer and I said together.

He looked at Aria curiously, then raised his thick eyebrows. "FOURSOME?"

"No!" Aria practically shrieked.

"Damn." He pouted, and wandered off.

"We are going to get this a lot." Spencer noted.

"I know." I sighed.

She finally disentangled her arms from me and jerked her head in Mike's direction. Just as we predicted, he was looking at his phone, and then snapped it shut, walking off. We waited ten seconds, then casually strode out into the long garden out the front, pretending to chat.

"So I said to her, "That's so not true Hanna! You're such a bitch! Stop making up things!" and she was like "Uh... Okay..." and I was like "You could just say you couldn't tell me!"... she's probably going to say I told you so." Aria concluded.

I was busy surveying how beautiful Cody Linford's front yard was. Behind us was a small hillock dotted with flowers, leading down the side of the house, and in front of us was the pool. To our right was the house, and leading on from that was the tall iron gate. I chuckled, not really paying attention to what Aria said, but Spencer's expression had turned dark. "That's a police siren." She remarked.

I could tell the familiar wail from a mile off. And right now, it seemed to be coming from outside the house, just a few metres away. We froze, and suddenly the backyard was filled with uniformed cops. Aria whimpered slightly and I grabbed her hand. "Shush, Aria. They're not here for us this time." I confirmed.

They weren't. They ran straight inside the house, guns (?) at the ready, and screams of frightened teenagers followed about three seconds later. We stayed where we were, scarcely believing what we were seeing. Then Spencer, being her usual, curious, wondering self, ran up to one of the windows, dragging Aria and I along. "Spencer, they've got guns!" I hissed.

She hesitated, and in that hesitation, my eyes caught a flicker of movement. Noel Kahn was running, looking panicked, a police officer in pursuit right behind him. I gasped, and my two friends turned to see the exact moment the officer tackled Noel to the ground. Noel's handsome face skidded against the muddy lawn, and he yelled in panic as the officer's gun touched the back of his head. "Don't move, kid, if you know what's good for you!" The man grunted, as Noel attempted to thrash.

I glimpsed Aria's face of pure shock for the second time that evening as she stepped back next to me. Noel moaned as the officer whipped out handcuffs from his belt, and a squad more appeared out from the house. "Suspect apprehended." He reported into his radio, then attached the cuffs to Noel's wrists.

"You are under arrest." The officer boomed, and Spencer gasped, as if she couldn't believe it. "You have the right to remain silent. Everything you say can, and will be used against you in a court of law."

The squad reached the officer and helped Noel up, all the while keeping a close eye on him. Mud was splattered down the front of his fashionable polo shirt and jeans, and his eyes were wild and fearful. "I CONFESS!" He suddenly yelled.

"What." Aria muttered.

He thrashed in the police's grip, which only motivated them more to hold their guns close to him. "I confess! I did it! I'm so sorry!"

The cop who'd tackled him looked smug, and one pulled out a tape recorder. "Statement." He affirmed, and moved the recorder to Noel.

"I... I... I sent abusive text messages! I pretended to be Alison DiLaurentis! I threatened people! I blackmailed them! I stole things! I hit a girl with a car! I put steroids in things! I kidnapped someone, I... I HELPED KILL SOMEONE!"

The police looked completely shocked, and puzzled. But suddenly, all these pieces were slotting into place. "Holy shit." Spencer murmured.

One of the police officers cleared his throat. "We're arresting you for the recent vicious attack on a teenage girl."

_Oh my god. They think he beat up Tanya. They do, they do. They think he beat up Tanya._

My mind was racing at full speed. Noel's statements seemed to all tie in to the actions of... It seemed impossible. _Is he admitting it?_ _No way... Noel Kahn could not be... _

"BUT I AM A!" Noel yelled at the top of his voice. "I WAS A!"

He suddenly turned in his handcuffs, taking advantage of the police's bemusement. He saw Spencer, Aria and I standing at the hill. "You... you guys! I'm so, I'm so sorry!" He bawled, tears streaking down his face. "I'm so sorry! SHE MADE ME! SHE MADE ME!"

"She?" Spencer questioned.

And suddenly, perfect timing, as everything was becoming coldly clear, and facts clicked together in my brain, there was a unmistakable gun shot, and Noel fell to the ground with an audible grunt.

My reactions kicked in a second later. I threw myself down, pulling Spencer and Aria, hearing Aria scream loud and clear. Gunshots echoed through my ears and...

_everything_

_slowed_

_down_

_I could feel my own heartbeat race with my panic._

_The police officers swore and began to run, slowly, slowly, too slowly. _

_Gunshots seemed to whizz around us, deepening my terror, and I covered my head with my hands. _

_Spencer was gasping for breath, Aria was crying, I was too scared to even make a noise. _

_The police officers ran towards us, so damn slowly, as another bullet exploded from a gun, that seemed terrifyingly directly behind us. _

_And for some insane reason, this made me want to turn, and slowly, so slowly, I turned and gazed behind me, at the plain grassy lawn, furnished with potted plants and lanterns. _

_And standing on the right, aimed so she would shoot directly past us, practically terrifyingly next to us, was Mona._

_Mona, with a pistol in her hands. _

_Mona, bitchy Mona, gossipy Mona, with her red silk dress and hoop earrings, even clutching her leather handbag._

_Mona with the frighteningly dead look in her eyes. _

_And somehow, I found the courage to speak, raising myself, staring at her, as Spencer grabbed my arm I was propping myself up with, in an attempt to save me._

"_Mona." My voice shook._

_Her cold, dead eyes turned to me, and despite the childish pigtails she wore, she looked truly murderous. Slowly, slowly, the gun turned to me, and I stared down the barrel with true fear. _

_I breathed out with difficulty as she stared at me, sizing me up. Her eyes were completely lifeless, eerily like ones of a fish. I expected my life to flash before my eyes. But all I could think was "I'm going to die at the hands of Ali's favourite victim."_

_The barrel met my temple sluggishly, cold metal chilling my skin, and somehow I did not panic. Somehow I stayed calm and stared back at her with resolve. I knew what was going to happen. And I awaited it without any regrets. _

_Spencer cried out as she realized what was going on, and Mona slowly turned to look at her, coldly, holding the pistol to my head still. _ No Spencer, no, don't do anything stupid_, I prayed. _

_And Mona turned again to me, smiled her usual sweet smile, which became instantly sinister with her dead eyes. And weirdly, I noticed, the music was still blaring from the house, despite the screams and gunfire. "Love You Like A Love Song." I looked at Spencer's terrified face and tried to smile bravely to comfort her, to let her know that I was okay._

_She didn't seem comforted at all, only gazed at me with a deathly white face and glossy eyes. _

_And as I heard the police finally tear round the corner with shouts and thumping feet, I looked at Mona, knowing she was A. Everything made sense. And with that, I closed my eyes and awaited a quick death._

_And as the gun blasted one last time, echoing again and again, I fell back into merciful, cloaking blackness, just as Spencer and Aria screamed for their lives. _

**Don't you love my cliffhangers? ;) REVIEW AND THE FINAL CHAPTER COMES QUICKER. I PROMISE IT'S THE FINAL CHAPTER. AT LEAST, I THINK SO. :D I'm so pleased to see reviews by the way, they honestly make me grin every time. All the answers to your questions are coming very soon... :)**


	15. Mac And Cheese For The Guilt Stricken

**Spencer POV**

Mona's head twisted to look at me, and for some reason she stepped back, separating the gun from Emily's head. But still, she smiled blandly, with eyes that were devoid of all emotion. I screamed so hard my throat became raw as the gun went off, and as Emily fell backwards, I tried to catch her but my arms and legs were leaden. I scrambled to get closer to her, tried to move, and saw Mona level the gun to my head, aiming, directly for me.

I stared at Emily, her face splattered with streaks of blood, scarlet beginning to drip down into ragged lines. Her eyes were closed and I could have kidded myself she was sleeping if it wasn't for how dark smears were painting the grass around her head, and clotting her ebony hair. "Emily!" I screamed hysterically, wide-eyed and trying to breathe.

_I did nothing. I did nothing. I sat there and I've let her die. Oh my God_. Thoughts thudded through my brain with the beat of my heart, my heart that still beat, which I couldn't say for Emily. Mona smiled and admired her handiwork, and a wave of fiery rage rose up in me. No, fiery doesn't do justice to it. It was like a volcano finally going off inside of me. Scorching waves of lava of deep anger, pumping through my veins, undescribable rage which motivated me to stand up. I was angry enough that all sensible thoughts cut out. I was prepared to attack her despite the pistol she was gripping in her hand. And then another gunshot went off.

But this time, I didn't fall to the ground under Emily's protective arm. I stared at Mona's exquisite red silk dress with horror, as a deep scarlet flower burst into life in her chest. Her emotionless eyes widened, and she staggered. I backed away as her hands attempted to cover the gaping bullet wound, which had quickly grown to the size of a soggy crimson dinner plate.

The police had finally moved in. A cop pushed me out of the way, down onto the ground, and I skidded on the grass. As I watched, the cop grabbed the gun out of Mona's hands. There was nothing she could do to stop him. She coughed once, twice, and then hacked a clot of blood directly into the officer's face.

_Blood's in her lungs. _I realized, as the cop grabbed her and she sagged, on the verge of collapse. Her eyes rolled and she attempted to speak with a horrible gravelly gurgling. Red bubbles foamed around her lipglossed mouth. And then she keeled over.

More police officers finally arrived. One grabbed my hand and pulled me to my feet. "Are you hurt?" He shouted into my face.

"No, no, but Emily!" I shrieked, scrambling towards her.

She bore a coldly peaceful expression and I sunk on my knees, trying to check her pulse by pressing my fingers to her neck, but all too late I realized that was a bad idea. I pulled my fingers away stained with ruby blood, and audibly whimpered. The police officer grabbed her wrist and pressed his sausage-like fingers to her delicate arm, directly on her pattern of arteries. And I sat there, watching her chest for any sign of life, praying to any deity out there to make her breathe.

And it rose, but so small, I wondered if I was imagining it, until it deepened, but oh so slightly. "Emily." I cried, in sweet relief. "Emily, Emily."

"She's alive, we need an ambulance now!" The cop barked, and one of the others repeated it into his radio.

But I didn't hear. I was too busy staring at her eerily calm face. Clumsily, I leant forward to wipe the blood which was pooling in the whorl of her lips, in the socket of her eye. More was dripping down her tanned neck. The cop leaned forward and moved a thick strand of her hair. I practically snarled. "Don't touch her!"

And then I gasped. The strand had been hiding the mangled bloody lump which used to be Emily's ear. It had a gaping hole in it, one through which I could see the grass she was lying on. The cop stood up smoothly, moving his hands underneath her and scooping her up. He held her in a fireman's carry and ran. I tried to follow him but my legs had turned to jelly. And then I felt arms around me.

Aria. She'd been sitting there worldlessly, frozen with fear the entire time. And now she was holding me close to her, trying to comfort me as I broke down completely. The police swarmed around us, suddenly meaningless to me. More sirens wailed, and I knew what I had to do.

I stood, wiping the tears off my face, and ran, ran towards the sound of sirens, hoping an ambulance would be there. Aria was left behind in my haste, but I didn't think about that at the time. I sprinted out of Cody Linford's house just as I saw the black-clothed paramedics lift Emily onto a stretcher. "Emily!" I yelled.

One turned to me. "You family?"

"No." I stupidly said, and then regretted it.

"I'm sorry, family only." He informed me, then ran round to the drivers side of the ambulance

I chased him there, slamming my hand on the door. "Let me come! Please!"

He looked down and repeated "I'm sorry, family only."

"I, I, I-" I scrambled for an excuse, and realized I had one perfectly presented to me on a plate. "I'm her girlfriend!"

He raised his eyebrow at me then nodded. "Get in."

I had frozen as soon as the words escaped my lips. _Girlfriend? I'm "her girlfriend". _

_Okay. I can do that_.

But it wasn't the time to obsess over such details when Em's life was in danger. I ran round the back, swung myself into the seat beside her, just as the ambulance guy was about to shut the door. I grabbed her hand and held it in my lap, staring at her simple, beautiful, placid face. And tried to ignore the blood staining the bandage which the paramedics had attached to her ear.

The ambulance driver attached an oxygen mask to her face, and weirdly, that's all I can remember from the ambulance ride. It was such a blur, and we travelled so fast. I can remember me holding Emily's hand, murmuring to her, praying that she could hear me. Occasionally the ambulance would judder, and her head would loll, and I'd think she moved. But she stayed perfectly still the entire time.

At one point I even put a hand on her chest to see if she was breathing or not. The paramedic in the car made a warning sound and attempted to move it, but I wouldn't let him. The rise and fall of her chest was comforting to me. I needed it. _I need her. I need her to stay alive, she can't die. No. Not today._

"Emily, can you hear me? I'm right here. Everything is going to be just fine. I think your ear will be hurting. But that's okay. We're in an ambulance. People can fix it. I just need you to keep breathing for me. I need you to just keep breathing and hold on. If you hold on, everything's gonna be better. Believe me. You need to keep breathing. Squeeze my hand if you can hear me."

But no squeeze came, no squeeze ever came, and I sat desperately in the ambulance, rambling on about how everything was going to be okay when I didn't know that myself. I closed my eyes and felt her breathe and prayed.

And suddenly we were at the hospital, and they were pulling Emily's stretcher out, and I was desperately chasing after them as they pulled into the emergency ward, my hair streaming out behind me as they rolled the stretcher down the corridor and finally whipped her into a room. A paramedic caught my arm. "Come sit down." He urged. "The doctors can't let you be in their theater. Come sit in the waiting room."

I let him drag me, and then suddenly, weirdly collapsed as soon as he pulled me over to a chair. He handed me a wad of tissues, even though I wasn't crying. I probably looked like I needed them. "Do they know what's wrong with her so far? What.. what bits got shot?"

"I'll be back with a report." He promised me, and ran off, like an eager little puppy dog.

I sat in the waiting room, slowly rocking in the chair, cradling my knees up to my chest. I couldn't believe how damn close I'd been to death. A couple of hours earlier I'd kissed Emily and poured blue goo over her head. And now I was waiting in the emergency room of a hospital for a report on what a bullet had done to her. Life truly hates Spencer Hastings.

I shuddered as I remembered her face as she fell. Like she was prepared for it. Calm and ready for whatever faced her. Confident in the face of death. Brave and courageous and so damn composed, knowing she would... she could die and still not giving Mona any satisfaction by showing her fear.

And then she'd turned and smiled at me. Typical Emily. She's about to die and she looks for other people to comfort and tell them it's okay. Her smile had been strong and full of emotion, and completely brave. She didn't show any sign of weakness. Just smiled, and in that smile, she told me everything she needed to know without uttering a word. That everything would be all right. That she loved me. That we were both going to get out of this. And that I meant something to her.

Except everything hadn't turned out okay. She was near dying. It didn't look like we were going to get out of this together.

The paramedic came charging back in with a report in his hand a couple of minutes later. At least, it felt like a couple of minutes. I hadn't realized it but the sky had turned dark outside and I was the only one sitting alone in a huge waiting room. He rushed towards me. "The doctors have done what they can so far." He huffed.

I froze. That could either have been good or bad. "And?"

"And they report the bullet went straight through her left ear, but was on a diagonal right slant. This meant it lodged in her neck. It appears so far to have missed vital arteries."

I breathed a long sigh of complete relief, revelling in the news she was going to be okay. But the paramedic's expression was still serious. "However, there is the issue of removing the bullet. It is only a couple of centimetres from her spinal cord. If the bullet touches her spinal cord at all... I'm sorry to say but she will be paralyzed from the neck down."

_Paralyzation. OhGodohGodohGodohGod. She'd never swim again. She could be a vegetable. _A lump rose in my throat and I tried to swallow it down.

"So they're going to attempt surgery now?"

He nodded. "And go through the night. You should better go home. She may even be able to see you in the morning."

I brushed aside the suggestion of leaving Emily immediately. "No. I can sleep here."

He shook his head. "We've got nowhere for you to sleep."

"Then I'll sleep in here, on the chairs."

The doors suddenly swung open and I glanced towards them. My older sister stood there with car keys in her hand. "Spencer." She said, and her voice was full of warmth and empathy I hadn't felt off her for years.

I gave her an icy look and was about to turn my back on her, and then I realized I was just too tired. The stress of feeling so much emotion had completely wiped me out. I cupped my head in my hands and sighed, trying to summon some strength to politely tell her to go away. And then I felt her arm loop around my shoulder, trying to pull me up. I pulled myself away from her. "No, Melissa!" I snapped. "I... have to stay... near Emily."

Melissa sighed and tried to pull me again, but my hands were firmly curled around the chair's armrest. The paramedic looked incredulous at how determined I was. "I'm gonna sleep here." I finished, sending another icy look at her way.

"You have to come home. Mom's going mad, she didn't know if you'd been shot or not. It was on the news that two girls were shot, one killed. She thought it was Emily and you."

"Hmph." I muttered.

_I wish it hadn't been Emily and Mona_, I realized. _Better to have been Mona and I. A can take out the detective with her. I wish she'd shot me... instead. Why Emily? Emily never did anything wrong. _

Tears pricked my eyes at the thought of how she was so beautifully innocent and I slaked my hand across my face to brush them away. Melissa leaned in confidentially. "Dad even called, scared you'd died."

"What a disappointment to find I'm still living." I sneered.

"Spencer." Melissa sighed, and tried to heave me up again.

But I stayed clinging to the armrest. "I can't leave her Melissa!" I whimpered. "She's in surgery."

Melissa dropped my arm, and stalked out to the car. I watched her go, wondering how I'd made her so mad. She was the one who started my crazy relationship with Emily. And then I remembered what I'd texted Tommie. A shot of guilt resonated deep within my chest. _Melissa effectively sets up one relationship for me and I destroy one for her... damn. _

But she returned with blankets in her hands, and I blinked curiously at her. She wagged her finger at me. "I knew you'd resist going home. So I prepared." She murmured, tucking the warm blanket around her.

I found it in me to smile weakly. "You know me too well."

She nodded. "That's what older sisters are for. But you have to get some food down you. Otherwise you will burn out."

She'd even brought a pillow which she propped my head up with, and she put a warm bowl of mac and cheese on my lap. I ate, knowing she wanted me too, but it tasted like heated cardboard. I practically choked at the blandness on my first mouthful, but kept eating. Melissa looked stricken. "I'm sorry for the text I sent her." She said softly.

I glanced around before I replied, but the paramedic guy had already left. "Not like it matters now." I answered.

She bit her lip. "Yes, there is that. What happened? In the party? How did she get shot?"

I tried to think how to answer but my brain was simply too tired. I was sluggish. "Noah Kahn got arrested for attacking Tanya."

Melissa gasped with honest concern and I weirdly felt a stab of jealousy that she was so concerned about Tanya. "He did it? But... how did Emily get shot from that?"

"He then began confessing to a whole bunch of crimes. Crimes no one knew he had done. And then-"

"Like what?"

"I'm too tired, Melissa." I groaned. "I'll tell you later. When everything starts making sense. But as he confessed, he insisted that Mona Vanderwaal had made him do said crimes. And that's when Mona turns up with a gun and shoots him."

"Wait, Mona Vanderwaal? The one who likes shopping and giggles a lot?"

I gave her a weary look and she shrugged. "I know her older sister."

That struck me. _She had an older sister. She had a family who are going to miss her. _I felt sick to my stomach, and pushed the mac and cheese away from me. "Yeah. Her. Turned into a psychotic gunwoman."

"Then how did Emily get shot?"

I took a deep breath. "When we heard the first shot, Em put her hand down on our backs... threw me to the ground. And she saved, she saved my life." I choked with sudden understanding. "Cause more shots were fired directly where I had been. If Em hadn't pulled me down, I would've... died."

And then I was sobbing hard with guilt seeping through me, overwhelming guilt that shredded my insides. "She, she saved me! And I didn't do anything... she saved my damn life! And I stood there while she had a gun to her temple, and I didn't... do... anything."

And that was when all hell broke loose because perfect Spencer Hastings, composed Spencer Hastings, poised and confident Spencer Hastings, transformed into emotional wreck Spencer Hastings, with snot and tears dribbling down her face. Melissa made comforting sounds and handed me tissues but I was beyond the point of comfort with the horrific realization. Emily had saved my life, and I had stood there and watched her get shot. _It's my fault. It's my fault. It's my fault. _

I guess that's what you call a complete breakdown. I curled up into a ball and cried for what seemed like hours. Melissa did her best to comfort and hush me. But she could only wait until my eyes were sore and dry and puffy, my throat was tight and strained, my breathing was deeper and slower. I was still hiccuping with my sobs however. And the thoughts still swirled round my head in a murky soup. _It's my fault. It's my fault. Oh God, why didn't I do something. It's my fault. _

Melissa left when my hiccupy sobs ended and my breathing evened out until I was falling asleep. My head leaned against the armrest of the chair and Melissa managed to drag my feet and pull them up into a lying position. I felt her mop the tears off my cheeks as I drifted out of consciousness.

But when she came to check on me in the morning there were fresh ones there, staining my cheeks to mark where I'd sobbed quietly in my sleep.

**Well that was depressing to write... Hope it doesn't make you guys feel too sad! It might get happier... Or it might not. Depends. If you review or not. DUN DUN DUNNNN. Ooh I feel quite evil now. Is Emily going to be okay? Or will she be paralyzed or brain damaged from the bullet in her neck? What's Spencer going to do with her guilt? And Tanya will appear soon, reviewers. Promise. I just want to focus on the Spemily for now :P teehee. Oh and this isn't the final chapter unlike what I said earlier (I'm such a liar)... but it's ending soon.**

**REVIEW!**


	16. Cooties With A Side Of Oh Crap

**Emily POV**

The tiles on the ceiling were moving. They were playing a game. A jumping game. They were sliding over each other sluggishly, but then they began to speed up. Faster, faster. Leaping over each other. One lost its balance off the roof. It fell down slowly. But it changed, it fluttered in mid air, became a spinning black bullet heading to me. A black blur of speed and sound. A crack, and the fiery tongue of flame behind it and the drifting cloud of smoke.

There was a pain. Somewhere. I couldn't identify it. It was bearable but it wouldn't go away. I didn't know what I was doing there. _Why am I here? _People were dashing about all over the place with somber faces. They kept looking at me on the bed. _They are all so sad. Something sad must have happened, _I reasoned. _Am I in a film?_

And my mom appeared. She was smiling at me. I tried to smile back. She was trying to tell me something very important. I had to listen. But her face was growing wrinkled and her skin was growing paler and her hair was becoming frizzy and blonde. I wanted to talk to her. Warn her about the tiles and how they kept playing. I wanted to ask what was happening. But my mouth and throat weren't working. I didn't know why.

I didn't like how everything was moving, bulging this way and that when I glanced at it. I wanted to close my eyes but I could still see everything when I screwed up my eyelids. The walls were coming closer. The pain was growing more urgent and hammering. I wanted to cry like a baby. I didn't want this.

There was a table across from me. But it wasn't a table anymore. It had rolled up its front two legs and was walking about like a human. I was afraid. Of the table. It was strolling around the room nonchalantly. And the tiles were playing once again, faster than ever, and zooming out of their places to say hello to me.

I heard noises. People's voices, beeping. The beeping went on and on. I wanted it to stop. I tried to growl at it to be quiet. But still, my voice wasn't working. I suddenly thought I was in a hospital. But that didn't make any sense. So I ignored that thought. I thought I was dreaming, so I decided to wake up. I widened my eyes as much as I could. I found my teeth worked, so I bit down on my lip. The pain didn't register. Blood poured down my chin while I lay with open eyes.

And then shouting came, big black figures with loud voices, and I tried to tell them to go away, but I couldn't. I tried to explain about the tiles and the table.

_Something's wrong. Something is really, really wrong. _

_I need to wake up_.

I wanted to wake up but nothing was happening. I glanced at the table, sitting innocently in the corner. Its legs retracted and it got up and began swaggering about. I knew it was going to happen. Everything was playing on a loop. I was terrified. Stuck in a dream world, and I couldn't awake.

And then a man arrived, and he smiled at me. He was kind. And then he turned dark and out of focus. He was moving me gently. I didn't understand why he was. But then he stuck a needle in my arm. I didn't like that, so I tried to move away. I couldn't. _Why can't I move my body? _

And then suddenly sleep stroked my mind with velvety, comforting fingers, and I succumbed once more to blissful oblivion, floating, down and down into the beautifully dark depths.

**Spencer POV**

I had a dream about sitting at the edge of a cliff, gazing at the beautiful purple and golden sunset before me. Someone tapped me on the back. It was Emily. She was smiling sweetly at me, and she was pulling something out of a bag. I thought it was a present. I could feel the sun's final rays beating down on my back, and I felt warm, loved, and excited.

So I woke up with a sleepy smile on my face, wondering why my face was cold and wet, and I sat up, wiping my cheeks. And then I remembered everything.

It was as bad as it had been when I saw Emily get shot. No, worse, because it happened all in one moment. All the pleasure sucked out of me, replaced with draining depression and my old friend, guilt. I gazed around the hospital waiting room and realized I was still alone, apart from the young paramedic guy. He had woken me up by shaking me as I lay prone on the hospital seats.

He cleared his throat, and I realized how shattered I must have looked. I combed my hair back with my fingers and wiped my face. "Yeah?"

"The doctors managed to get the bullet out last night." He smiled, and I heaved a lengthy sigh as relief untwined the knots in my gut.

He waited patiently as I appreciated how relaxed and calm I suddenly felt. _It's not gonna last for long_. I nodded at him to go on. "Now we are just awaiting the results and for her to wake up. She's apparently been slipping in and out of consciousness but seems delirious and fevered. So we've been giving her drugs to cope with that fever, but we also have fears we're giving her too much and not giving her body time to recover by itself."

"But she's okay, right? Not paralyzed or anything?"

"It doesn't seem so far. But when she wakes up, we'll know."

"Can I visit?" I immediately wanted to know.

He checked through the notes on his clipboard. "I think so. Mind you, we still need to see if her hearing is affected because of the bullet, but I think she's going to be pretty fine. It was a very, very lucky escape."

But I knew all that already, and I was just smiling and nodding at him because I wanted to go as quick as possible, ready to see her. I tidied up the blankets hurriedly and followed him into the elevator. I was practically brimming over with hope, so desperate to see her, I nearly bolted out of the elevator. He put a hand on my arm. "Calm down. She'll be there no matter what."

I nodded at him and took a deep breath. "Oh, and by the way, we also cut her cast off. Just wanted to make sure, she was moving perfectly fine with it on, wasn't she?"

_Her cast. Of course. _I hadn't even noticed she was in fact hurt at the party. She'd pulled her jeans down on top of it, worn some covered shoes, and it had been invisible to me. And now that I thought about it, she had been leaning on me a lot. At first I thought that was affection, but maybe it was something else.

"Well enough to walk and run and all of that." I smiled. "She was barely even using her crutch. She heals quickly."

"You're telling me." He nodded. "The injury wasn't as bad as we thought however, so it was normal for her to have been moving about regularly and attempting to exercise it."

And then we were at the door, and he pushed it ahead of me and I took a deep breath. Preparing myself. Steeling my nerves. Then I strolled on in like I owned the place. _Acting confident is key, Spencer. You must not let her sense you're scared. Even if she is unconscious. _

She lay in a stunningly white bed, like a fallen angel, plucked from the sky, wings tucked unseen beneath her. Her dark hair was spread out on the pillow beneath her like a black halo, such a strong contrast against the bright room that it seemed picturesque and unreal. It was as though I'd stepped into a painting.

But in a painting, her neck would not be constricted within a brace, bandages covering her chin and circling her face. In a painting, I wouldn't be able to hear the steady beeps which I instantly knew was her heart beating. In a painting, her expression would be placid and peaceful. Not one of pain.

I crossed to her side in an instant, grabbing a plastic chair and positioning it beside her bed. Then I took her hand, which lay above the pristine white sheets, and intertwined her fingers with mine, silently. I waited patiently for the paramedic to leave, as he was still hovering in the door, staring at Emily and I nervously.

He got the gist, and departed. I then stood up and took a proper look at Emily's face. She was definitely experiencing some kind of pain in her sleep- her mouth was twisted to the side, and her eyes were firmly screwed shut. As I watched, she exhaled slowly through her nose, deeply and calmly. The brace around her neck scared me, but I suppose it was there to support her in case she moved in her sleep, and tore the bullet wound. That reminded me. I gazed at her ear, wondering what it felt like to have a bullet rip through it. Unimaginable agony. Then again, she had fainted when it happened. She'd be experiencing the real pain when she woke up.

Time sort of escapes me after that. I sat and watched her for hours. A nurse bustled past with a food tray, intended for Emily in the event of her waking up, but I received it anyway. Doctors came in every now and then to check everything was okay. I even saw the nurse Hanna had so fondly nicknamed "Walrus". She gave me a disdainful glare, and then fussed over Emily with a haughty, angry expression.

In the movies, Emily would wake up as soon as I walked into the room, bright-eyed and happy to see me. She'd be raring to go, to get out of this hospital bed, to get on with our A-free lives. And we'd laugh about how stupid we'd been, thinking A was Tanya, and we'd step out into the sunshine with inspirational, motivational music playing merrily in the background. Ready for a new beginning.

She'd tell me it wasn't her fault she got shot.

_This isn't the movies. Nor a painting. This is real life. Emily's lying there in feverish sleep, with a bullet shot through her ear. She could be paralysed for the rest of her life. She could have no hearing. There's no background music. There's just this hollow beeping. And I'll sit here forever, waiting for her to wake up. _

The door opened at around lunchtime that day, and in walked Emily's mom. The young medic guy was with her. She rushed to Emily's side, moving her raven locks off her sleeping face, with an expression of enormous relief on her face. "She's going to be okay." She said quietly to the paramedic.

"We don't know for sure." He emphasised, and I could practically see Mrs. Fields' hope dampen slightly. "However, we can hope. Her vitals seem fine. We just have to wait till she awakes."

Mrs. Fields nodded with pursed lips, and seemed to register I was in the room just at that moment. "Spencer? What are you doing here?"

I cleared my throat, but it still sounded huskier than usual and raw with emotion. "I've been here since the... the accident. I slept in the hospital overnight."

Mrs. Fields looked surprised for a few seconds, then a wave of compassion seemed to overcome her. "How long have you been sitting here with her?"

"A couple of hours, maybe." I estimated.

"Well. Thank you for being such a good friend to her." She said warmly. "But I would like some alone time with Emily. If that's possible."

I nodded, though it pained me to leave the room. I got up, tied my hair back into a uniform ponytail, and wandered down to the waiting room again. I made myself some coffee from the machine. It was watery and flavourless, or so it seemed. I appeared to have lost all desire and taste for food. My stomach felt hollow, but not the hollowness of hunger, the hollowness of deep emotional pain. Food couldn't touch it.

_Only Emily can._

**Hanna POV (this is written on the night Emily gets shot. Kind of a flashback. Hope you understand!)**

I'd heard that Emily, Spencer and Aria were going to the rave at Cody Linford's that day. I secretly (okay, maybe not so secretly) envied them. Here was I, sitting at my kitchen bench while my boyfriend tried and failed to teach me how to hack a computer, while they were off partying the night away. I sighed quietly, wondering what sort of outfit I would have worn to the party. There was the cutest silk pink chiffon top I'd just bough from Forever 21... that with black jeans would have been fantastic. Adding on the cute white coral-shell necklace I remembered I had in my jewellery box and a couple of gold bangles... I heaved another sigh.

"Okay, so this is quite simple, Hanna." Caleb smiled, rubbing his hands together.

_He has big hands, _I noticed. _Mmm, big hands, long fingers. Yeah. You know what I'm getting at here. I wonder how he got such big hands? He should play baseball. They're practically baseball mitts of hands. He wouldn't even need a glove. Hey, that's cool, I'd be a jock's girlfriend if he played baseball. He could score me one of those sweet letterman jackets which are so popular now. Oh my god, so cool. We'd be like matching! I wonder what colour it would be. Hopefully not red, it clashes with my skin. Blue perhaps? It would really match my eyes. And this sweet necklace would totally-_

"Hanna? Hanna? Earth to Hanna?"

"Oh yup, I'm here." I announced, switching my mental dialogue off. "So you were saying?"

He gave me an all-knowing look, and I was reminded strongly of Spencer. "Were you listening to me?"

"Yes!" I said immediately. "Completely! I was totally with you."

"Then what's Python?"

"Uh... a snake."

"Hanna."

"I know, I'm sorry." I pouted. "I just can't focus!"

"It's okay." He smiled. "I know this isn't that interesting to you."

"Caleb, I'm trying to listen. Explain it slooooooow."

"Ooooookaaayyy. Soooo Pythooooon iiiiisss theeee basssiiiiccc prooogramminng languuuuuuaaaage ooooooooff hacking."

"Programming language? Like Spanish?"

"No, like a computer language."

"Computers have a language?"

"Yeah, to build programs and so on."

"Why can't they just speak English?"

"Well, they do. The language is what makes sites and programs and so on."

And with that, _Never Gonna Give You Up _blasted from my phone which was currently plugged into Caleb's laptop. I practically fell off my chair with fright. "WHAT IS THAT MONSTROSITY?" I yelled, snatching my phone.

He grinned innocently. "I changed your ringtone. You like?"

"I hate!" I answered, and flipped the volume off. "Change it. Please."

But still the infernal music continued playing. I stared at him. _He's hacked it so it won't switch off_. "No... Caleb... You didn't."

"Oh I did." He said, grinning, but edging slightly off his chair in preparation for what was coming.

He knew me too well. As soon as I slipped off the chair he started running away from me. "Change it!"

"Never!" He yelped, being chased round the kitchen table.

"Change it!" I demanded.

"Never!"

"Change it NOW!"

"You've just been Rick Rolled!"

"Once I catch you, you are a dead man!"

"You can't catch me!" He yelled childishly. "For I am Batman!"

"You're not Batman, Caleb, we've discussed this."

"I am Batman!"

"No, you're not."

"Fine." He paused, barely out of breath. "Who am I then?"

I gave him a sly look. "Did you watch Kim Possible when you were little?"

"Like all the awesome kids did. Hell yeah."

"You're Wade."

His eyes widened as the full horror at the insult swept over his face. "Nooooo!"

"Yes." I giggled.

"Nooooooooo!"

"Yes."

"That's just cruel! You horrible girl!"

And now it was his turn to chase me round the room. But I handed him my phone. "Excuse me, sir. I'll take it back if you kindly get the goddamned music off my device so I may see my message."

He took the phone out of my hands and plugged it back into his laptop. "One new message from Aria." He noted. "And two missed calls."

"Missed calls? What-" I paused, picking my phone up.

**Hanna. Come to Cody Linford's, NOW. Don't worry about A. I will explain. -Aria**

I frowned at the message, and as though she could sense my confusion, another one popped right up onto the screen. **Hanna! I need you now. Please. -Aria**

_It must be something really bad if Aria admits she needs me, _I reasoned. "Caleb, I gotta go. I'm sorry. I think something really bad has happened with Aria."

His handsome face immediately turned troubled. "Why? What's she said?"

"She's said she needs me, and, well, I must never ignore that." I said determinedly, grabbing my coat.

"Should I come with?" He asked.

I thought about it. But the likelihood of it something to do with A was vast, and Aria would want to talk to me about it. "No, but thanks for offering. She probably needs some girl time with me."

He shrugged. "Wouldn't want to get in the way of some girl time, I guess. All those cooties."

"I thought cooties were left behind in second grade when you also stopped eating paste."

"Hey, paste is the mark of a delicate palate. Cooties are an important structure of our modern day society's establishment for the changing mind of a maturing boy. I could write an essay on it."

"You do that." I laughed, kissed him goodbye, and started up my car.

My happy mood instantly dissolved when I managed to drive to Cody Linford's. Red and blue flashing lights spun into the darkening sky, and sirens pierced the night with their wails. I parked, wondering what on Earth could have happened. Something to do with A. "Shit, shit, shit, _shit_." I muttered, increasingly stressed, slamming the door shut and running towards the house.

A police officer stopped me. Like actually, prevented me from going in. He held out an arm. "Hang on there ma'am." He drawled. "This is a crime scene now, what are you trying to do?"

"Trying to find my- wait, did you just say crime scene? What happened?"

His face turned solemn. "First tell me who you're trying to find."

"M-my friends, they were here, one of them texted me she needs me."

He looked even more dismal, eyebrows furrowed. "I regret to inform you, ma'am, there's been a shooting. One girls been killed, another taken to hospital."

I froze. Turned stiff. I could feel my heartbeat in my ears, everything plummeting down around me, that damn sinking feeling. "Sorry?"

He repeated what he said. My mouth was falling open. "N-no, oh, God, do you know who was shot?"

"We have yet to confirm an identity. I'm sorry." He said, then turned away.

I stared at the house, breathing hard, as my stomach clenched and my palms turned damp with fear. "Oh God..." I murmured to myself.

I don't know what I would have done then. Probably embarassingly broken down in front of everyone. But Aria suddenly came hurtling towards me, as if in a dream. I didn't even register she was there until I could see the whites of her eyes. "HANNA!" She yelled, in a voice thick with emotion.

I turned to her. "Aria? Y-you're okay!" I said in disbelief.

She threw herself at me in a leaping hug, one which I nearly fell over from. When Aria gives leaping hugs, she usually is extremely hyper and wants affection. But this wasn't a time she was hyper at all. As I could tell when she began sobbing into my shoulder.

"Aria." I murmured, rubbing her back. "What happened?"

She couldn't even talk. That was the extent of it. She just cried and cried and cried, heavy heartfelt sobs filled with a great sadness which I couldn't even begin to comprehend right then. I just stood and stroked her back while she cried, with no end to it. "Hey. Hey." I said gently.

She choked on her tears, made a very unladylike coughing noise, and then detached her head from my shoulder. "It was awful, Han." She choked. "Just awful."

"Come on to my car." I murmured, helping her across the street, as she leaned against me and tried to swallow her sobs down.

I opened the door and she practically collapsed in. I got in and turned to her. "What's going on?" I asked softly.

She took several deep breaths, staring outside, before answering. "Mona and Noel Kahn are... were... I don't know... A."

"What? How do you know that?" I instantly asked, like a reflex statement.

"The police arrested Noel for beating up Tanya." She shivered.

I grimaced. "Oh. I knew that would come back to bite me in the ass."

"Yeah. But he didn't know he was being arrested for beating up Tanya. He thought it was cause he was A."

"Go on..."

"So he began confessing to a bunch of crimes. Like, he was yelling about blackmailing people and putting steroids in things. And then he turned to us, and said "She made me do it."."

"Whoa." I breathed. "And she is...?"

"Was." She corrected, and saw my eyes widen. "She was Mona."

A knife of emotion stabbed through my chest, and I spluttered. "Mona? No! Definitely not, she's too-"

"Innocent?" Aria hissed, suddenly fiercely angry. "Cute? Nice? Preppy? Yeah, that's what I thought. Until I saw her with a gun, with my own eyes, shoot Noel Kahn. And then she put the gun up against Emily's head and pulled the trigger. Want to argue with that?"

My blood turned to ice, and the thumping in my head grew even louder. My mouth hung open. "She shot Noel... And Emily?"

Aria's eyes were becoming glossy once more but she wiped them with the back of her hand. "Noel was about to tell us all it was her, I think, so she shot him. And she would have been planning to get away, too, but Emily sat up and saw her with the gun in her hand. And she said her name... And Mona went... psychotic. She had these dead eyes, Han-" She shuddered "- they were so cold, and empty. And she shot Em... And she would have shot Spencer. But the police shot her through the chest."

It was a lot to take in, and I felt my heart clench, goosebumps prickle my skin, and my stomach heave like I was about to be sick. I closed my eyes and tried to breathe. "Is Emily... okay?"

"I don't know." Aria said, sounding miserable. "She fell back when Mona shot her. There was so much blood, and this cop pulled her hair back, and her ear wasn't her ear anymore."

"What do you mean, her ear wasn't her ear anymore? Did it turn into a magical pony?" I asked, bitterly.

"It was a mangled, bloody, shredded lump, with a bullet hole through it." She replied, spitting out her words.

"Oh." I murmured, and lapsed into silence. _You know everything's going wrong when Muso is almost losing her temper._

There was a period of absolute quiet as I digested all the new information, and Aria only occasionally sniffed. Then she murmured "I'm glad you weren't there."

"Glad I didn't die?" I remarked.

"Yes." She said quietly.

I turned to look at her, and she looked utterly exhausted. "I love you too, Muso." I whispered, and hugged her.

She cried again at that, and I held her tighter, as warm tears pricked my eyes when I thought of what was going to happen to Emily. I tried to blink them away, but the lump in my throat rose till I was just crying out of utter despair, my chest heaving and hollow with fear. We eventually pulled away, our mascara running, and I dragged a hand across my face. "Where's Spencer?" I murmured, shocked by how fragile my voice sounded.

"She ran to be in the ambulance with Emily." Aria sighed. "Since she's her girlfriend and all."

I tried to smile at her but it was weak and shaky, and I gave it up. "Told you so."

"I'm sorry I didn't believe you."

"You should be." I sighed.

The usual mirth that would bring me just died in my chest, and I could do nothing but recline in my seat and stare at the flashing red and blue lights. "Are we gonna go anywhere?" She asked.

"You wanna go to my place?" I asked, attempting to appear bright and welcoming.

"Sure." She sighed, and I switched the car into ignition, pulling away from the madness which encircled Cody Linford's house.

_And drove into the miserable-looking future? _

**Oh. Depressing again. You can tell I really don't have much clue when I'm writing this, can't you? :P anyways, next chapter, I am definitely gonna make it happy. Hang in there! :) R&R as ever, and I love the people who have suddenly started reviewing this and telling me they read it all in one night! You have no idea how happy that made me! Wow... I'm a dork. I'm gonna be quiet now. Oh, and I'm always open to suggestions? More Tanya/Caleb/Spemily... anything, I can do :) BYE REVIEWERS! **


	17. Spencer Hates Kim Kardashian

**Spencer POV**

I was sitting in the waiting room, pretending to leaf through some trashy magazines while my mind was whirling elsewhere. I couldn't concentrate on "Kim's Wedding Disaster" or "Beyonce's Baby Joy" while Emily was lying unconscious in a bed. Actually, I could never concentrate on them. The lives of the rich and famous totally escape me. I mean, everyone's got their own lives to live. And I've noticed the people who are most obsessed with someone else's lives, are completely failing to live their own. _Just a little statement._

Emily's mom strode out of the elevator at the exact moment I looked up from a bikini shot of Victoria Beckham with revulsion. She saw me immediately and I stood up with my hands in my pockets as she walked towards me. "You can go see her again now." She informed me, not unkindly.

"She didn't wake up?"

"No." She looked down, trying to mask her disappointment.

I knew exactly how she felt. "It's okay, Mrs. Fields. She will do soon. And she is going to be _okay_."

The words came out convinced and strong, far more convinced and strong than I felt. She met my eyes and smiled, then looked away. "Of course. Well. She's all yours."

I nodded, smiled politely and moved to walk past her, but she stopped me. "Oh, Spencer?"

"Yes?"

"I don't mean to be rude... but don't you have somewhere to be? Your mother must be a bit worried. Maybe you should go home?"

I know she wasn't trying to be rude, or insult me, but that's exactly what it felt like. I shook my head. "I know what you mean, Mrs. Fields, but the place I have to be right now is with Emily. My mother would understand. If she wants to see me, she can come here." I explained.

She simply said "Okay.". And walked away.

I watched her go, knowing she didn't understand. She didn't get how someone could feel so utterly devoted to watching over her daughter. She only understood her parental love. I let it go, and hopped into the elevator.

Emily was as same as ever when I came in- perfectly asleep. Her mask of pain was the same though. I lowered myself into the plastic chair, and prepared to watch her for the night.

It was around 9pm when it happened. I was grabbing another chair from the side of the room to make a bed for me to sleep on. I still had the blankets that Melissa had given me. I picked up the chair, and in moving forward, I accidentally slammed it against the wall, creating a loud noise. I groaned at myself, moved the chair, and lay down on it.

And then realized her eyes were open, and she was looking at me with a look of puzzlement. "Spence?" She asked, her voice hoarse and throaty.

I sprung forward so quickly I fell off the chair. Onto the floor. Facefirst. And made an even louder thump. "Ow!" I yelled, bruising God-Knows-What.

She was staring down at me with a look of sleepy concern, I found, when I managed to peel my face from the floor. "Em." I said, incredulous, grabbing her hand.

"What's going on?" She murmured, looking afraid.

"You're in a hospital."

She was staring at my lips, looking even more afraid. "What?"

"You're in a hospital, Em."

"Spencer..." She trailed off. "Talk."

I was puzzled. "I am talking."

Her eyes were wide, and her hand, trembling, touched her face, her cheek, her ear. She kept her hand on her ear, still staring at me. "Say something!"

"I am!"

"It hurts, Spence." She moaned. "My ear. It hurts. What's happened?"

Fear gripped my stomach, and I tried to breathe, my lungs constricting. I hurried round to the other side of the bed, with her non-bandaged ear. "Em." I said, raising my voice.

"Oh! Thank God!" She breathed, and I squeezed her hand. "Spence!"

"Em, I'm right here. Can you hear me?"

"Yes." She said, wincing. "Only on this side. My ear's gone funny."

"That would be expected." I nodded. "How do you feel?"

"Like crap!" She answered, and I laughed. "My neck hurts. And my ear. What happened?"

"You got shot, by Mona." I explained, and then realized how ridiculous it sounded.

She stared off into space, and I knew she was remembering. "Oh." She murmured, looking far away.

We stayed like that for a while, her reclining and thinking, and me gazing at her, so damn happy, so happy to see she was alive and talking, so happy for her to be with me again. Then her gaze flickered to me. "Why are you staring?"

"You've been out for a while."

"What?"

"You've been out for a while." I repeated, raising my voice.

"How long?"

"Since you got shot. Um. A day."

"Oh." She said again,. "So why are you staring?"

"Cause I'm so glad that you're alive." I choked on that last word, emotion getting the better of me.

She turned to look at me with surprise, awkwardly shuffling her body towards me. Tears were pricking my eyes, but I did nothing to brush them away. I just stared at her, and shook my head, bowing it. "You have no idea how scared I was."

She tried to reach her arm around me, but an IV drip stuck in her wrist prevented her, and she winced again as it dug into her flesh. "Come here." She ordered, smiling at me, trying to reassure me.

I stood up, and wrapped my arms around her prone body as I sobbed yet again. _This is becoming an awful habit for me_. She rubbed my back and made shushing noises. "It's okay, Spence. I'm alive. Everything's gonna be all right. We're good, we're good! Why are you crying?"

"Cause I'm so happy." I snuffled, my voice sounding croakier than ever. "I'm relieved."

"So am I, believe me." She joked, and I tried to laugh but it came out as a sob.

We stayed like that for a long moment, her rubbing my back and generally calming me down with her very presence, while I sniffed like a little baby. "Is that why I'm in a hospital? Where'd I get shot?"

I pulled away and wiped at my eyes. "The bullet went through your ear and into your neck. That's probably why you can't hear out of that ear."

She nodded, biting her lip, her hand flying to her neck. "Is it still in there?" She whispered, like she was afraid of asking.

"No, no." I reassured her. "They took it out last night and stitched your wound up. And possibly bits of your ear."

She shuddered at that, and I couldn't blame her. And then I knew I had to say something. "Em." I said calmly, pretending for all the world that I hadn't been crying thirty seconds earlier. "You saved my life."

She met my eyes, looking puzzled. "Huh?"

"When Mona first started shooting," I began, "You pulled Aria and I down. I would have been shot if you hadn't done that. I practically felt the bullet whistle over my head."

Em's eyes were dark with memory, but she nodded slowly. "I didn't think about it at the time. It was just a gut instinct."

"I don't care. You saved my life, and for that, I'm forever in your debt." I said, dead serious.

She cracked up, and I couldn't figure out why. "You're so dramatic, Spence!" She laughed. "Look, it was nothing. I wasn't thinking about it. Don't act like one of those old-fashioned movies you so love."

"But it is something!" I retaliated. "It's something really big! You_ saved _my life."

"Then I'm glad I did it." She smiled. "But you're not forever in my debt. That's a little OTT. Just anything I would do for a friend."

I spotted an opening in her words, and smirked slightly. "Do for a friend? Or girlfriend?"

She lifted her chin up and looked me full in the face, instantly serious. "Depends what you prefer."

"Oh, I think you know what I prefer." I teased.

"Then that's what it was for."

I smiled, and looked away, covering my mouth with my finger, but I knew that my eyes revealed how elated I was. "I think you should get some sleep. It's nine'o'clock."

"But I've just woken up, and I'm not tired at all." She whined.

"Well I need sleep." I muttered.

She squinted at me. "Louder."

"I need sleep."

"Oh. Okay then. Sleep there, like you were going to." She nodded down at the pile of blankets and chairs.

"I need it, but I don't want it." I laughed. "I want to stay up and talk to you."

"Then do." She replied, a twinkle in her eye.

I smiled, and realized I didn't know what to say. And then, because I'm an idiot, the most mood-ruining sentence came out of my mouth. "I feel guilty."

Her eyebrows furrowed. "What?"

"I feel guilty because you got shot." I admitted. "I didn't do anything to stop it. I just sat there and... watched as Mona shot you."

She gazed at me with such tenderness I had to look away again. "Spencer, when are you going to stop taking on other people's problems?"

"I don't." I huffed.

"You do. If you had done anything, Mona could have killed you. Mona would have killed you. You feel guilty? You think it's your fault I got shot?"

I was silent, and she went on. "Then it's Cody Linford's fault for having the party. Then it's Noel Kahn's fault for confessing. Then it's Mike's fault for making us go outside. Do you see what I mean?"

And then she went off on a roll."It's not your fault, Spence, at all. You have no right to feel guilty. The person who should feel guilty is Mona. She's the one who shot me. And it's her fault, and her alone."

"She can't exactly feel guilty now." I added.

"Why not?"

"The police shot her after she shot you. Right in front of me."

Em actually looked more bothered by it than I was. "Oh, God, Spence, that's awful! Are you okay?"

"Considering the _bitch _shot my best friend, I was fine with it."

Em smiled. "I'll feel honoured."

I realized a flaw in my previous sentence. "My best friend, and my girlfriend." I grinned, trying very hard not to look like a dork.

"Ooh. The double count. She really got you there."

"Tell me about it." I murmured, and after realizing she couldn't hear me, I rolled my eyes, shrugged, and leant in to gently kiss her lips. _What the hell. _

Her hand moved from her ear to cup my face, and she kissed me back tentatively, before pushing me away. "We've got a visitor, Spence." She said urgently, but there was no denying the sparkle in her eyes.

I moved away, turning to the door. Wren was standing there, in his full doctor's uniform, gaping.

It was all I could do not to burst out laughing. "Shut your mouth, you'll catch flies." I said, nonchalantly.

He practically fainted.

**Aria POV (This is set in the morning when Emily's still unconscious in the hospital!)**

I woke up in Hanna's spare bed, wearing one of her various cute pyjama sets, eyeliner still rimming my eyes, though smudged around my bloodshot eyes due to my crying. I yawned, sat up, remembering the events of last night, and immediately felt sick. I rushed to Hanna's bathroom, afraid I was actually going to be sick, but bile seemed to only burn my throat and go no further. I took one look at my panda-eyes in the mirror, grabbed a make up pad on the bench, and removed the black stains.

I splashed my face with water, as if it would cure the numbness within me with it's icy cold touch. But it didn't even touch it. I sighed, gazing at myself in the mirror, wet streaks dripping down my face. _Emily_, I thought, and felt deeply afraid.

I went back into Hanna's room, and to my surprise, she was sitting up, looking fully awake. "You're awake before ten-thirty in the holidays?" I asked, faking horror, but it felt fake and trivial.

"Yup." She answered, dragging a comb through her hair. "Didn't sleep all night."

"You usually don't."

"I know. But this time was different."

I knew what that meant, and decided to leave the subject well alone, for fear of breaking down into a useless lump of emotion again. "Mmm. Let's make some coffee."

"Don't feel like drinking anything."

_Neither do I, but I'm trying to retain some sense of normality, Hanna. _"Okay. Then let's make waffles."

"Don't feel like eating either." She said, sulkily.

I sighed. "Okay. Then let's do what we always do whenever you break up with someone."

She shot me a suspicious look. "I'm not breaking up with anyone."

"I know that." I snapped.

And then I was shocked. Hanna looked even more shocked. _I never snap like that, _I thought. _This is all too much_. "I- I'm sorry. I didn't mean to."

"That's okay." Hanna said quietly. "I didn't meant to either."

I nodded, and sat down beside her. "Between you and me, I'm terrified." I admitted.

"I am too." She assented. "I rung Spencer but her phone's switched off."

I thought for a second. "Have you got Emily's mom's number?"

"No, but I'm sure my Mom will. I'll go downstairs and ask her for it."

She swung herself off the bed and walked out. Two minutes later, she was back. "Here." She said, tossing me her mom's phone. "Read me that while I phone her."

I read the number, and Hanna called, the phone pressed to her ear, gnawing on her lip. "Mrs. Fields?" She asked, sparking hope in my chest.

She put the phone onto speaker as I moved towards her. "Hello, is that Hanna?" Emily's mom answered.

"Hi Mrs. Fields, it is Hanna. Is there any news on Emily? We haven't heard since last night and we're really worried."

"Oh... yes, that is why you'd be calling." She replied, sounding distinctly upset. "Yes, there is some news. The doctors have told me that she's in a stable condition in hospital."

Relief flooded through me, and I audibly gasped. Hanna almost smiled at me, the corners of her mouth however drooping slightly. Mrs. Fields went on. "However, the bullet went through her ear and into her neck. They've managed to remove it, but she is probably going to suffer from some hearing loss. She's unconscious right now, in hospital. When she wakes up, however, the doctors have said there is a fear she could be paralysed."

And just like the relief which flooded through me, the new fear was now like a roundhouse punch to the gut. "Paralysed? But why?"

"Is that Aria?"

"Yes it is, hi, Mrs. Fields. I'm at Hanna's house."

"Oh. I see. Well, the bullet could have touched her spinal cord, which is what they're worried about. Any damage to the spinal cord and she could be paralyzed from the waist down, or worse. We've just got to wait until she wakes up."

"Okay." Hanna murmured, as we both took the information in. "Is there any chance of us visiting her?"

"I'd say wait another day." Mrs. Fields recommended. "She'll probably be awake by then, and I'm the only family visiting her today."

"Thank you very much for telling us this." I said warmly. "We really appreciate it, we were quite scared."

"That's fine Aria. I'm just glad my Emily has such good friends as you. I will phone you if anything more comes up today."

"Thank you, goodbye!" Hanna and I chorused, and then rang off.

I flopped back onto the bed, revelling in my mixed relief and fear. "Do you feel like eating now?" I asked.

Hanna shook her head. "Still feel vaguely sick with fear. She could be _paralyzed._ Her swimming career would be over."

I nodded, massaging the back of my neck with my hand. "It's better than dead."

"Of course."

We were silent for a few more minutes, and then she sighed. "A is dead."

She seemed oddly sombre. "Yeah, and we can finally get to actually live our lives." I replied. "No more fear. No more flinching every time we get a message. No more threats. We're free."

My words seemed oddly dreamlike and peaceful, as if that kind of reality, which most normal people live in, was completely out of our grasp. It had been for so long we had slowly succumbed to living with it. But now we were ready to do what we could with our lives. We could be with our loved ones and not worry about them, or us, getting hurt. It seemed so perfectly plausible, yet a unreal expectation.

She didn't respond, instead switching on the TV to a soppy romance comedy. We watched it placidly, and nothing much really happened for the rest of the day. Apart from diving to grab our phones every time we heard a buzz, like panicked lemurs. But at nine-thirty, another buzz came. I was first to the phone.

"One new message from Spencer." I gasped.

**She's awake, and fine. -Spencer xx**

And those four words meant all the world to Hanna and I at that very moment.

**Review! As Ever! :D looooove your reviews, also ideas and advice are really appreciated right now haha **


	18. Emily Turns Into Obama?

**This chapter is set a day after Emily wakes up!**

**Emily POV**

Nine a.m, my mom came bustling into my room, carrying a huge canvas bag, but with an even huger smile on her face. Spencer had fallen asleep in the chairs, snoring softly, dead to the world. I woke up as my mom patted my face anxiously. "Oh?" I muttered in my sleep, then as my eyes fluttered open, "Hey Mom."

"Emily." She smiled, dropping the bag by my bed. "How are you feeling, darling?"

"I've felt better." I joked, knowing it would bring a beam to her face that I was being brave about it. "Neck's stiff and sore and I can't really hear anything out of one ear. You have to talk a bit louder around me now. Unless they fit me with a hearing aid."

She nodded, pulling up another chair. "Yes, they explained that to me. A large part of the protective covering around your ear's gone, and the blast from the bullet shattered your ear drum. So they're not sure how to fit a hearing aid, because they haven't really got... anything to attach it to, honey."

I shrugged it off. Despite how she looked woefully worried about it, I wasn't too fussed. Instead, I was simply filled with an enormous gratitude that I was alive. I wasn't paralyzed. I was free of A, and I had my family and friends around me to share in that joyful, blissful, intoxicating freedom. "I'll still be able to swim." I thought out loud.

"Not for a while." Mom warned me, and my spirits dampened slightly. _Only slightly_. "You need to get it covered up and properly fixed so water can't get into it, but you should be fine for the new season."

"Yeah." I beamed. _I have so much to look forward to in my life, again. _

A concerned look passed across my mom's face. "Sweetheart, I'm so glad you're okay, but I have been wondering about something. Why did Mona Vanderwaal shoot you? Do you have any idea what possessed her to do such a thing?"

Warning signals flared in my brain, but I mentally pushed them to the side. It was the time of happiness and freedom, the time to stop hiding secrets and telling lies to everyone. Lies were quickly becoming a thing of the past, in my head. _All of us need to be honest about A. All of us need to share our stories to our parents, to the school, to the world. _

"I do, Mom, I do." I muttered. "And she wasn't just out to get me. She was out to get Hanna, Spencer, and Aria, as well."

Her face formed a clear question- _why?_

"I will tell you very soon." I assured her. "In the meantime, the girls and I are going to sort our story out. It's a complicated mess, to be frank. But I can promise you, that I tried to do the right thing. All of the time."

"Emily, you're sounding like you killed someone!" She tried to laugh, but looked nervous.

I smiled and shook my head. "None of us girls killed _anyone._ Promise you. It'll become clear really soon."

I hadn't realized Spencer had woken up, but she was rubbing the last traces of sleep from her eyes and sitting upright. "We didn't kidnap, rape, torture, or mutilate anyone either, Mrs. Fields." She emphasized, eyes honest and wide.

Mom's eyes flickered to her. "Spencer, call me Pam."

Spence nodded, but there was a small flame of pride sparking in her eyes, one which she tried valiantly to hide. I couldn't help but smile at her. Mom went on. "But what it's sounding like, is that you girls were bullying or targeting Mona in some way... enough to push her to the edge."

"God no!" Spence replied, despite herself.

"No, no way." I agreed. "Don't ever think that Mom. Do you think we'd do that?"

She met my eyes, and I could see her weighing the options, hesitating for just a second, unsure what to think. I felt ever so slightly insulted, and was about to tell her so. But she leant out and grabbed my hand. "No, no I don't. I don't think you'd do that. You girls are all good people. I know you are."

I smiled and inclined my head, Spence blushing. "That's why we tried to do the right thing." I declared.

She nodded. "Well, I probably have to head back now, Em. The Rosewood paparazzi are swarming everywhere, and I'll have to go deal with them outside the hospital. This is probably the most news they've had in decades."

"Rosewood? Paparazzi?" Spencer said quizzically, and we all laughed.

"So you're my spokesperson, Mom?" I asked.

"I suppose I am." She affirmed after a second.

"Then tell them," I practically ordered (_ordered! Ordered! My mother!) _", that I'll be available soon for comment. And I'm going to tell them the whole story."

"The whole story?" Spence asked, an eyebrow raised in her sarcastic, playful, teasing way.

"The whole story." I asserted.

Mom was watching us with a confused, yet suspicious look on her face. I smiled big. "Don't worry. The truth will become evident soon."

_Evident. That's a big word. Holy crap. Spence is rubbing off on me. That's probably why I just ordered my mother to do something. _Even Mom looked surprised. "Okay." She said simply. "By the way, people sent lots of nice things to the house once they found out. I was amazed by the level of gratitude. They're all in that bag."

"Thank you." I smiled politely.

And for some strange reason, I felt like her equal, like we were simply associates at work. It was a feeling of cold detachment. My Mom knew me better than anyone else- she'd raised me, of course- and yet I felt like I was her boss, all of a sudden. Maybe it was the entire spokesperson thing, but she'd wholly succumbed to it. I felt independent, free-thinking, and prepared to make my own decisions. And it was an amazing feeling.

She nodded her goodbyes, and left the room with a purposeful step. I turned to Spencer. "The whole story, I mean it. We are going to tell everyone everything about A. We have to be forward about the truth."

And crazily, Spencer didn't fight back. She looked startled for a second, and then hurried into agreement. "Yes, yes, of course. We'll get the girls in here, and a reporter, and we'll tell them the entire thing. Like we told Dr. Sullivan."

"Yes." I simply said, and I oddly felt like I'd given the go-ahead for something major.

_I feel... Like a boss. Haha! But seriously. I do feel like someone in charge. Is this how Spencer feels all the time? Like the decision's down to her?_

Spence smiled, grabbed the bag, and peered inside. "Looks like people from Rosewood have sent you nice things." She grinned.

"Get well cards and flowers?" I guessed.

"How did you figure it out?"

"The bullet in my neck triggered my hidden psychic powers."

"You're a funny one. Oooh, there's some chocolates."

"Excellent." I smiled. "Spence, can you grab me some pen and paper?"

She put the bag down, and found some on the table. "Here."

I nodded my thanks to her, then began scribbling. "We have to tell everything from the beginning."

"Maybe you should wait till Hanna and Aria get here? They might think differently." Spence suggested, peering up from the bag.

I stopped writing, and grinned lazily. "That's not like you."

"What's not like me?"

"Waiting for other people's permission before you do something. You usually just charge off by yourself."

She frowned, then stuck her tongue out childishly at me. "Well, it's not like you to be so bossy! Ordering me and your mom about."

"Your mom and I, Spencer, check your grammar." I said gleefully.

She scowled at me again, and I stuck my tongue out at her. "The roles have been reversed. You're the nice one. I'm the psychopathic grammar Nazi." I chuckled.

She rolled her eyes, but in an amused way, and sat down to examine the contents of the bag. I began scribbling again. And approximately forty-five seconds later, Hanna and Aria burst in through the door.

"EM!" They both squealed, and hurtled themselves towards me.

"Hey there!" I yelled, laughing as they flung their arms around me. "Ow, ow, that hurts. Not too tight. Glad to see you guys."

Spencer stood by the door, smiling sweetly as the two extricated themselves from me. "You're okay!" Aria squeaked.

I spread my hands wide, like _ta-da!__ It's me!_ "Here in the flesh, all fixed."

"I'm _so _glad." Hanna emphasized, looking a little emotional. "How are you feeling?"

I shrugged. "A little sore, can't hear too well, but it doesn't matter. We all know what matters."

We were silent for a miraculous five second period, acknowledging what we could have lost. And then I brought the meeting to attention. "Guys, Spencer and I've decided to tell everyone the truth about A."

Spencer looked appreciative that I'd mentioned her in the decision, though it hadn't really been her doing. Aria and Hanna were silent, looking vaguely shocked. I continued while their mouths were shut. "Look, when I woke up this morning, I knew what mattered. What matters is freedom, and we've got that now. And for us to feel completely free, we have _got _to stop lying. A can't _hurt_ us anymore!" I spoke passionately. "We tell everyone, we explain, and then we get on with our lives. How good is it gonna feel to be honest?"

Aria and Hanna were silent. Still. This was about as rare as pigs flying. I took advantage of it. "I've hated how we've lied to everyone through this past year, while A's been on our backs 24-7. Now we have to be honest. And people will believe us, because the stories all tie in together. This is our shot at getting on with our lives. Not just mumbling some half-baked excuse and constantly living with the guilt that we never told anyone about A. What do you guys think? Should we tell them?"

There was a brief period of quiet, then, "Yes." From both Aria and Hanna.

"Yes what?" I asked, cocky.

"Yes. Let's tell them about it." Aria said, looking determined. "You're right. Who are we gonna tell first?"

"I'll ask my mom to bring a reporter up from the _Rosewood Chronicle_." I explained, feeling another rush of power. "She's got a friend on the team of that. And then we'll explain everything. But first we've got to get our story straight."

Hanna nodded slowly. "I have a question, Obama."

"That's rude, Hanna." Aria lectured. "Jokes about Emily's skin colour are not funny."

"Dude, I wasn't thinking about that! All Emily needs is to shave her head, grow a tache and she could be an Republican canditate. 2012- Vote Fields. I'd pick her over Rick Santorum or Mitt Romney any day."

Spencer's mouth had fallen open in amazement. "You know who they are? Rick Santorum and Mitt Romney?"

"Yeah." Hanna responded. "Aren't they the runners for the Republican party?"

"Oh my god." Aria, Spencer and I all said at the same time.

"I'm so proud of you, Han!" Spencer shouted, hugging her.

"How on earth do you know that?" I asked.

"I knew you could do it if you tried! Oh, Hanna, this is a happy day!" Aria cried.

Hanna looked slightly baffled. "I was watching _Jersey Shore_... and a news update cut across it. I couldn't help but listen!"

We all laughed, united in our pride of Hanna's minuscule awareness of politics. "I'll take what you said as a compliment then." I smiled.

"Do! I was meaning... you sound like Martin Luther King. From History. _I have a dream_!" She intoned.

"What?"

"You sound motivated. Positive. Determined. Confident. Like you've got real drive behind what you're saying. Like you completely believe in what you mean. You make others feel the same way. Inspirational. Real leader material. I think that's what Hanna's trying to say." Spence explained, a twinkle in her eye.

"Yeah, what she said!" Hanna added.

I found myself grinning like a dork at her words, yet felt infinitely more confident. The kind of esteem boost only your friends can give you. Well, friends and other kinds of friends. But I won't go into that. "Thanks guys. I appreciate that. You're sweet."

"No, Spencer is." Aria corrected. "Stop giving her the look, Spencer, it's quite creepy. Go do that somewhere else, please?"

"I'm not!" Spence hotly protested.

"You are!" Hanna interjected.

"Guys, what's the look?" I asked, puzzled.

"You know... the look." Aria said, wiggling her eyebrows at me.

"No I don't know... the look."

"It's the look of, "I would very much like to have sex with you, please and thanks"." Hanna said helpfully.

Spencer's face was so red you could practically roast marshmallows off it. "No!" She squeaked. "I wasn't giving her that look!"

"Apparently you were." I teased.

She turned to look at me to protest, and I did my best super-stud-diamond-teeth grin, and winked at her, then broke the hold her gaze had on me. "Right. So we need to sort out-"

"I SAW THAT!" Aria yelled, pointing her finger accusingly.

"That wink was dripping with sexual suggestions." Hanna noted.

"Wasn't it?" Aria agreed. "These two just need to find a bed. Well, Emily's found a bed cause she's in one right now, but I'm not suggesting you two have sex right here!"

"That would make my eyeballs drop out of my sockets, then catch fire, then melt." Hanna theorized.

"What, it's that hot?" I shot back, enjoying this a bit all too much.

Spencer facepalmed. "Don't encourage her!" She berated me.

"Sorry!" I apologized, but I really wasn't.

Hanna was making scarily realistic gagging noises and Aria just looked plain horrified. "You guys are putting mental images in my head I do not want." She mock-whispered, eyes wide, scared.

"They might not just be mental images, soon." I grinned evilly, and Hanna collapsed to the ground with one final puking sound.

"Oh dear God." Aria yelped.

"You are a terrible person, Emily Fields. I don't care what your mom says." Spencer said, gently cuffing me round the head.

"Love you too. Now, back to our original topic. We should start from-"

"Have you guys actually done it yet?" Hanna asked, peeling herself from the ground.

"What?" Spencer practically squawked.

"Oh yeah, they could have done!" Aria replied, looking alarmed. "Last night! They were alone!"

I tried to cut across. "So, like I was saying, the beginning-"

"Bullets in necks are nothing compared to Emily's needs apparently." Hanna chortled.

"Or Spencer's." Aria added, vaguely disgusted. "You two really need to calm down."

I slapped my head. "No! Let's talk about how we're going to present-"

"Do you think one of the doctors came in?" Aria asked Hanna.

"Well that would have been an interesting experience." She chuckled. "Imagine if it was Wren. That'd be hard to explain."

"Well, you see, Doctor-"

"Emily's pants were hurting her-"

"So I pulled them down-"

"But I accidentally pulled her panties down too!"

"And then magically, there was a fire storm-"

"That's why I'm topless, my top caught fire-"

"So I had to take it off-"

"But then the flames spread to all of Emily's clothes!"

"So I had to take them off her as well!"

"No! We weren't having sex!"

"You pervert! Ew! Perish the thought!"

"WILL YOU TWO STOP DISCUSSING SPENCER AND I'S SEX LIFE AND LISTEN TO ME?" I roared, finally losing my patience.

They both sat down like obedient little children. But that was the exact moment my mom decided to open the door.

I froze, mouth wide open. "Hi, Mom." I managed, trying not to stutter.

"Everything going okay in here?" She asked brightly. "I heard a lot of shouting."

"Everything's fine!" Spencer managed, with her best winning smile. "We're just discussing how to tell our story. Don't worry."

I smiled and nodded weakly at her, but she seemed to get the gist. "Okay then. Goodbye."

"Goodbye!"

As soon as my mom closed the door I glared at Hanna and Aria, who were sitting there shaking with laughter, silent in their mirth. "Spencer?"

"Yes?"

"Please kill them."

"Gladly."

"No!" Aria shrieked. "We'll listen! Please!"

I sighed, glaring at them. "You better."

"We pwomith Mrth Feeldth." Hanna lisped, crossing her arms neatly and looking as sweet as she could.

"Hanna, I mean it."

"Pleathe don't thet your pet Spencer on me. I'm tho vewwy tewwified of her!"

I realized this was as good behaviour as we were ever going to get, and sighed again. "Right. Okay, so I reckon we start from the beginning of it all. Ali's death. And work from there. Just tell the reporter exactly what we told Dr. Sullivan."

**One Hour Later **

**Spencer POV**

The reporter had listened with wide eyes the entire time, the tape recorder rolling next to her. Every now and then she'd look at a message on her iPad, or roll her pencil between her fingers. But she'd seemed completely fixated on our whole story.

Of course, it was Emily who took over the most of telling it. Aria and Hanna and I added in little bits she'd missed every now and then, but overall, she did a fantastic job. She was passionate, honest, directive, and used extensive words in her vocabulary to describe what we were going through. She'd finally finished, and I'd wordlessly passed her a glass of water by her bedside. She shot me a grateful look, took a couple of swallows, and sighed. "And that brings us up to now. That's why Mona shot Noel Kahn, and then me."

The reporter must have realized she was on her big break. Her story of the century. Her eyes were shining with hope, and it amused me how in awe she seemed. The tape recorder was still spinning. "So, girls, what you're saying is, you received messages from a mysterious figure called "A" who threatened to expose all of your secrets, and that "A" has revealed themselves to be Noel Kahn and Mona Vanderwaal."

"Yep."

"Yup."

"Exactly."

"Pretty much."

"Whoa." She breathed. "Did you suspect anyone at anytime to be "A"?"

"A lot of the time, Spencer was the one who came up with many different theories." Em said, and I felt a surge of warmth at her words.

"I suppose." I smiled.

"So who did you think it was, may I ask?" The reporter said.

"Uh... I never suspected it was Mona and Noel, to be perfectly honest." I affirmed. "We did have a lot of previous suspects... Em, is it okay to name them?"

"No, that's cool, ask Em, don't ask us." Hanna huffed.

"Very well, if you want to be PC, is it okay to name our suspects, guys?"

"I suppose."

"Yeah."

"Alright."

"Firstly, I suspected that A could be Jenna Marshall." I explained. "She had a motive. When Ali was still alive, she was convinced that Toby Cavanagh was staring at her window while she was changing. One night, she told us all that to teach him a lesson, we were to throw stink bombs into his house."

Aria held up her hand, like a kid in preschool and I nodded to her. "We didn't really want to do it." She explained. "But Ali had a way of manipulating us all into it. Because she knew all of our secrets, you see. So, she ended up throwing the stink bomb, and dropped it into the garage. But the stink bomb went horribly wrong. The garage blew up. And this blinded Jenna. And Ali swore for us never to tell anyone about it."

"So Alison was the one who blinded Jenna Marshall?"

"Yes. So Jenna could have wanted revenge on us." Em answered.

"Anyone else?"

"Recently I suspected it was my half-sister Tanya." I admitted. "She didn't have a motive or anything, just some circumstantial evidence. And, of course, it wasn't her, and for that I'm deeply apologetic."

We were silent then, and she seemed to have no more questions. "Okay." She said softly, pressing stop on the recording machine. "That's great, thank you. This will be in the papers tomorrow."

"Good." Emily smiled, and we bid the reporter goodbye.

But as she moved to walk out the doorway, she was blocked by an all-too familiar figure. Tanya stepped into the room, brown hair pulled back into a ponytail, looking nervous. I immediately felt a stab of guilt, something I'd been feeling a lot lately. "Hey, guys, am I interrupting something?" She queried.

"No, we're all finished." I answered, adjusting my body language to seem as welcoming as possible, plastering a smile onto my face. "Come on in."

She shot me a skeptical look but walked inside. "You never did have coffee with me, Emily." She laughed, with a tinge of worry in her voice.

Em smiled apologetically. "I know! I felt really guilty about it. I'm really sorry, I was in hospital the whole time."

_Tanya was going to have coffee with Emily? What?_ I shot Em a questioning glance and she waved her hand in a gesture which simply meant _I'll talk about it later. _

"That's fine." Tanya said warmly. "I just came to see how you were doing."

"Better." Em nodded. "Better than I was a day ago, at least."

"Yeah." Tanya looked a bit uncomfortable. "I was at the party, and I didn't know it was you who got shot! Everything went mad. There were teenagers screaming everywhere, people breaking down cause their friends weren't picking up the phone, bobbies rushing around trying to question everyone, even a bit of argy-bargy between mates of Noel Kahn's. Absolutely mental."

"What does "argy-bargy" and "bobbies mean?" Hanna immediately asked.

"Oh, sorry, forget you lot are American. Argy-bargy means a fight, bobbies is slang for police."

"Ah. I see. So why were you at the party in the first place, Tanya?" Em questioned.

"Oh, I was invited by a cool guy." Tanya beamed, and sent an unmissable look in my direction. It seemed to say _Told you so_!

_Obviously trying to prove a point, which is that she's not gay. I see how it is_. I raised my eyebrows but let the matter go, not wanting to start a fight. "Uh, what cool guy?"

"I don't know if you know him." Tanya smiled. "His name's Mike Montgomery."

You could have heard a pin drop. All of our eyes looked directly at Aria, whose mouth was hanging open in a rather fish-like manner. She closed it slowly, took a deep breath, and fired the statement at Tanya- "Oh, I do know him. Rather well, in fact."

"Really?" Tanya gushed. "He's so awesome! Quite fit too, if you don't mind me saying."

"Fit?" Hanna queried.

"Oh, what do you Americans say? Hot? Handsome? Good-looking? Nice abs?"

"Oh, that's very interesting." Aria said, obviously fighting to keep control of her amusement.

"Yeah. How do you know him?"

"Well, he just happens to be my younger brother." She said casually, looking at her nails.

There was an awkward pause, which Hanna broke by snorting loudly, and then dissolving into giggles. I burst out laughing myself at Tanya's phenomenally embarrassed face. "Oh God! Oh God! I... Er..." She mumbled, going a tomato shade of red.

Even Emily broke into hysterics at that point, but to my relief, Tanya didn't take it personally. She instead began laughing herself. "Oh, wow. I think the awkward-meter just broke at that." She smirked.

"Ya think?" Hanna added, and we all giggled some more.

"So, I think what you were attempting to tell me, is that you and my brother hooked up?" Aria quizzed.

"Hooked up?"

"I have no clue of the British word for that, I'm sorry. Well... you kissed?"

"Oh! You mean got off with!"

"Yes, that. That's totally what I meant."

"I suppose we did." Tanya blushed. "Great to see you all but I've got to go... I've got someone to see in about fifteen minutes, sorry."

"Is it Mike?" Aria asked, with a grin.

"No it isn't." Tanya denied.

"Oh, I think it is." I remonstrated, laughing.

"It's not!" She smiled.

"Then why did he just text me that he wouldn't be home cause he's going out to see someone just about now...?" Aria questioned.

Tanya went an even brighter shade of red. _She's got my blushing gene! _"Well, yes, possibly, okay, that's good, alright, goodbye!" She blustered, backed out the door, waved, and walked away.

We all began laughing loudly again. "Did he really text you, Aria?" Em asked.

"Nope." Aria grinned evilly, and we laughed even harder.

_God, it feels so damn good to laugh freely_, I thought, and felt an exhilirating kick of freedom, for one of the first times.

_And hopefully, not one of the last_.

**I read your reviews and appreciated them all! I actually made a note of what people wanted, I'm such a weird child. I promise more Caleb is coming up in the next chapter PrettyLittleFan and Pretty-Little-Super-Obsessed! And also PrettyLittleFan, I'm sorry it made you cry! I actually felt really guilty reading that xD trying to make it more happy now! **

**REVIEW! Please! Suggestions welcome! xx**


	19. Boom

**Aria POV**

The bright morning sunshine illuminated the world outside my doorstep, as birds warbled in the large pine tree next to my house. I felt like I'd stepped into a Disney movie. Especially since, just to match the perfect beginning to a day, I was in my tattered dressing gown, with messy hair, shadowed eyes, skin that hadn't seen foundation, and I happened to be so sleepy I was practically staggering. _What a great start to the day_.

The reason why I was viewing the light of day in a state which could only have been described, as politely as possible, "ruffled", was that I had a mission. A mission which needed to be completed at this exact time. Which happened to be 6 a.m. It was small wonder I was thinking longingly of my comfy bed the moment I ventured outside.

But my timing was correct. My quest's end lay just outside my door, on the path, sitting there innocently. I halted, then wobbled my way towards it. _The Rosewood Chronicle. _

I scooped it up in my hands, and there was a picture of Mona. Right on the front page. _Well, she would have loved that_. With her perfectly applied make up and wide grin, and the boy she was holding hands with, she looked every bit the inch of the winner of "Least Likely To Be A Serial Killer" in high school.

The headline was toned down, not in block capitals like they have them in movies, but in a Times New Roman font. "Shooting Reveals Disturbed Inner Life Of Mona Vanderwaal."

I raised my eyebrows at that, rubbing sleep out of my eyes. _Oh yes, make it about Mona, not about us. "Her disturbed inner life" makes it sound like she had domestic problems. Apart from Daddy refusing to buy her any more high heels, and Mommy saying she couldn't go to certain parties, she lived the privileged life. This isn't a Mona Vanderwaal pity party. _

But the italics undeneath claimed- "String of Blackmail, Murder Attempts, Threats, Thievery and Sabotages Haunt Schoolgirls' Lives."

_Oh. Slightly dramatic, but better. _

I skim read through the rest of it. It was basically our story written down word for word, except we didn't quote our names at the start. The reporter didn't seem to have much originality. At the end, however, she noted how our relationships and lives had been severely damaged as a result of these "multiple crimes committed against them" and how courtesy and kindness would always be expected. _Crap. That sounds like we're a charity case. Hello, we're the girls who suffered a creepy stalker! Be nice! Don't point! One photo at a time, children!_

I shrugged, sighed, and then wandered back inside. I spread the paper wide on the kitchen bench, as if I could be any more obvious. Then I clambered up the stairs, back into my nice comfy bed. And fell back into a beautifully dreamless sleep.

**Hanna POV**

It was just my luck that I'd left my phone on that particular morning. And even worse, I'd left the volume on full blast. I practically fell out of bed when my ringtone boomed into life, reverberating around the room, and just about shattering my eardrums.

_NEVER GONNA GIVE YOU UP!_

_NEVER GONNA LET YOU DOWN!_

_NEVER GONNA RUN AROUND_

_AND DESERT YOU!_

I pulled myself upright, eyes wild, practically frothing at the mouth, cursing at the top of my lungs.

_NEVER GONNA MAKE YOU CRY!_

_NEVER GONNA SAY GOODBYE!_

_NEVER GONNA TELL A LIE_

_AND HURT YOU!_

"Caleb-you-expletive-expletive-expletive, son of a expletive-expletive, **(A.N. Way too violent to publish, sorry guys). **I HOPE YOU GET HIT BY AN OVERWEIGHT DONKEY!" I snarled, lunging for my phone.

_My mind comes up with really weird insults when I'm sleepy. _

And what a surprise, Caleb was the one actually calling me. Instead of being my usual chirpy self "Oh Caleb, how nice of you to call me, do you want cookies, or other things, I love you, my beautiful boyfriend." I was in a filthy mood. "What do you want?" I groaned.

"Good morning sweetheart!" He said enthusiastically.

"God-freaking-dammnit Caleb, it's SIX THIRTY AM!" I practically screamed.

"Wakey wakey." He chuckled.

"I'm going to murder you in your sleep and I will enjoy every moment of it."

He laughed even louder. "Won't you miss me?"

"I'll have Rick Astley to remember you by."

"Yeah, I forgot that was still loaded onto your phone. What do you think of ol' Rick Roller?"

I suggested "Rick Roller" could go do something inappropiate and anatomically impossible with himself. And he laughed. "Don't you want to know why I'm calling?"

"No." I groaned. "I want to know if you'll leave me alone."

"Look outside, gorgeous."

"The sun's out there. I'll burn into ashes. Do you want that?"

"C'mon Hanna, you know you wanna look outside."

"I know I wanna SLEEP!" I exclaimed.

"Hanna Banana..."

"Whaaaaaaaat?" I moaned, massaging my temple.

"Look outside for me please, beautiful."

"Ugh! The things I do for you!" I huffed.

"Does that mean you'll do it?"

I swung myself off the bed and tottered over to the window, thrusting the curtain open. The sunlight poured in and I winced, whining down the phone to him. "Oh, it's horrible. What do you want?"

"Look down." He chuckled.

I glanced down, and I saw him standing there, the sun glinting off his tawny tangled hair, turning it copper. He was gazing up at me, laughing away. I was tempted to pull the finger at him, but I saw the newspaper he gripped in his hand. "I wanna talk to you about this." He said.

"AT SIX THIRTY?"

"Han, I'll make it worth your while."

"Oh, you had better do."

"I've got coffee."

"Coffee is what you usually get me."

"God, you are one high maintenance girlfriend."

"Go date one of the Jersey Shore crew if you don't want high maintenance."

"Well, it so happens I come prepared." He winked up at me, and I couldn't help smiling.

"Okay. Ten minutes. I'll be ready." I agreed, sighing.

"Yay!" He said childishly, and then hung up.

I watched him skip back into his car, shook my head, and then prepared myself. It took me ten minutes alone to choose an outfit. By the time I managed to get out to the car, Caleb was sitting inside, looking bored and slightly grumpy. "That was forty minutes, not ten."

"I'm sorry." I said, and stuck my tongue out at him. "Right. That's your punishment for waking me up."

"Your coffee's cold."

He pointed to a Starbucks cup full of iced coffee. I frowned at him. "Caleb, yes it's cold, because it's iced."

"I know." He laughed.

I realized the joke and gave him an icy stare. "You waited all this morning to play that joke, didn't you?"

"Yup!" He laughed so hard his head just about whacked against the steering wheel. I laughed at his goofy nature, picked up the iced coffee, and sipped at it, while he collapsed into giggles. "You are such an idiot." I shook my head, amused.

"I love you too." He said, and as I dropped my iced coffee, he leant forward and kissed me deeply on the lips.

I closed my eyes, surprised, and tangled my hands in his hair as his hands leant on my shoulders. Then he pulled away. "Probably shouldn't do that outside your mom's." He murmured.

"No, that wouldn't be a good idea." I smiled, but gave him a quick kiss on the cheek to compensate. "So. Where are we going?"

"To the most romantic place I can possibly think of."

"If you're taking me to Chucky Cheese again, you're really going to miss the use of your face."

He tittered. "Oh, but you loved it."

"Oh, but I didn't."

"Don't lie. Anyways. We're not going to Chucky Cheese. I've got something else planned."

"Okay..." I said slowly. "Is it something to do with this morning's paper."

"Yes." He said, now serious. "It is indeed."

"Well, what do you want to know? The news pretty much said it all."

"So you were acting all suspicious and shady with your friends because of "A"?"

"Yep."

"And you couldn't have told me, because "A" would have attempted to kill me?"

"Or me. Yep."

"So. I wouldn't mind asking." He said, turning to me, his face stern, "What part of our relationship is real?"

My mouth gaped open. "What?"

He looked wearied, but worry lines pinched his forehead. "All of these secrets, Hanna, all of these lies. I'm having trouble figuring out what the truth is."

"Caleb!" I gasped. "Why would you even think that?"

"Because I'm naturally suspicious. And once news comes up that people have been blackmailing you to do things, I immediately suspect."

"I know you're like that." I emphasised, putting a hand on his shoulder. "And do you want to know what part of our relationship is real?"

He nodded at me, face sealed off. "Every bit of it. I love you. A didn't put me up to anything. Every bit of our relationship is me falling in love with a naturally suspicious, knowledgeable, geeky, techy, goof. Right?"

He blinked, but a smile crept onto his cheeks. "Right."

"A never threatened me to be in a relationship with you. That was my call. A also never threatened me to have sex with you, because that was also my call. Do you want me to tell you what A made me do?"

"Yeah."

"A made me break Lucas' heart. He threatened-" And I left out the bit about the money, in case he'd judge "- to tell everyone my friend's secrets if I didn't do it. Okay?"

"Okay." He said, relaxing into the chair.

"Were you worried?" I asked, knowing he was without him saying anything.

"Yes." He admitted.

"Well don't be." I smiled, and then leant in and kissed him again.

We kissed for a long moment before I pulled away. "So, what did you have planned?"

"Nothing." He shrugged.

"You woke me up for NOTHING?" I yelled, scandalized.

"I wanted to see you."

I tried to scowl at him but the smile was rising on my cheeks. "Oh, stop being cute, you don't deserve this smile. How about we go to Brook Bridge?"

"Sounds good to me." He winked, and thrust the engine into gear.

**Emily POV**

"Well, that seems good enough." Spencer said, folding the paper.

We'd read it together as soon as the nurse came round with a trolley full of them for the patients, around 11am. Spencer again had stayed the night, though by now she was looking a little worse for wear after three days without a shower. Last night I'd told her she had to leave, but she insisted she was going to stay. She'd sat down, folded her arms, and raised her eyebrows challengingly at me. The entire, "make me" vibe coming through strong.

So I'd rolled my eyes, but she switched off the light and fell back onto her bed of chairs, so I really had no choice in the matter. At the time I was feeling most powerful, she hadn't submitted at all. Instead, she'd fought back like she always did, and eventually won me over. No matter how much of a "leader" I was going to be in my life, I knew I could never order Spencer around. Anyone else, sure, but never ever Spencer. I could even grow into being President of the United States like Hanna claimed, but Spencer would never do whatever I said. In fact, I imagined her breaking rules just to spite me. _She's like that. Stubborn as hell with a mischevious streak. _

And maybe I love that.

"It does." I said distractedly. "Now we just wait for people's reactions."

I was a bit sleepy to be honest, and Spencer's eyes were rimmed with shadows rather than her usual liner. We'd stayed up most of the night talking, about everything. At one point we were even discussing our opinions about zombies versus unicorns. I was more of a unicorn girl to be honest, and Spencer made plenty of rude yet funny comments about why I like unicorns exactly until I was smacking her over the head with my pillow and she was crying with laughter. Being gay has absolutely nothing to do with liking unicorns. I can assure you.

"_If you make one more comment to do with unicorns and lesbians I will kill you." I muttered, my pillow tightly held to me. _

"_I'm just saying!" Spencer giggled. "Unicorns for me have always been associated with rainbows, and rainbows have always been associated with LGBT stuff. Like Britney on Glee. You're a unicorn."_

"_Oh, and you know what you are?" I fired back. _

"_What?"_

"_You're a zombie."_

"_And proud." She grinned. _

"_But wait, not just any zombie." I continued. "You see, Spence, if I'm a unicorn, you're obviously a zombie. But secretly, you're carrying this unicorn horn around, hidden on your head under a hat. __Your skin's covered up not to show your... uh, unicorn glitter. You're a zombie who's hiding the fact she really loves unicorns, deep deep down."_

_She was quiet for a while, and I turned on my bed to look at her. "You're a zombie unicorn. Best of both worlds."_

"_That was scarily deep, Em."_

_I considered what I just said. "I wasn't putting it into that sense. But if you want to, feel free."_

"_What sense do you think I'm putting it into?"_

"_The entire gay thing."_

"_You're right." She exhaled. "Fine. I'm a zombie who's hiding the fact I'm a unicorn."_

"_Maybe you got bitten by a unicorn and turned into one." I suggested, before realizing how sexually inappropiate that sounded. _

"_No." Spence said, determinedly. "I've always been a unicorn. Just haven't been honest about it. Sure, the bite did something, and it made me realize who I am. And now I feel... happy."_

_I propped my head up on my pillow, and reached out towards where I knew she was lying. Her fingers interlaced through mine a couple of seconds later. "You mean that? You're happy?"_

"_Why wouldn't I be? A's dead and gone, there's a crazy air of freedom all around us."_

_I paused, and she hurriedly added "And I have you, and it's unlike anything I've ever felt before. It's so different... All of it."_

"_Why?" I blurted. _

"_Do you even need to ask that question?"_

"_Well, I was just wondering if it was different because of the entire gay thing, or because of something else." I set her up to make a sweet comment with a deft maneouvere. I was getting good at this. _

_And the bait was effectively grasped. "Yeah, because of that, but because I've never known my boyfriends or whatever, as well as I've known you. I feel like I know you inside and out, and I love that. It feels so much... safer? I know what you're gonna do and what you're like. And I love your personality. I don't understand boy's personalities as well as I understand girl's."_

"_Okay." I agreed, grinning in the dark. "It's different for me too."_

"_Really?" She asked, sounding surprised. _

"_Course! I mean, I've never been in a relationship with my best friend before."_

_And then I realized what a hole I'd dug myself into. "Well, I mean I've wanted to, but..." I trailed off. _

"_Ali." Spence sighed. _

"_Yeah." I affirmed. _

"_Well, let me tell you something." She said, sounding resolute. "Em, I'm not Ali."_

"_I know that." _

"_Yeah, well, no matter how many times people will compare her to me, I'll always disagree." She huffed. "When it comes to this, I'm not Ali. I won't lead you on. I'll always do everything I can never to hurt you. And in fact, I'm gonna try to be the most opposite to her, that I can."_

_I smiled at her sweet words. "Spencer, you're nothing like Ali, you don't have to prove it to me."_

"_Don't I?" She asked innocently._

"_No, you don't. You're so different from her."_

"_As in how?"_

_I realized the trap she was laying open for me, but I openly skirted around it. "You have different hair colour and eyes."_

"_Oh, that it?" She asked, sounding unimpressed, and I giggled. _

"_I'm kidding. She was manipulative-" I sighed, despite myself "- and she played with my feelings. And I knew she wasn't good for me, deep down. You're not manipulative at all, and no matter what... I know you'll always have my back no matter what. And you're an awesome friend, she wasn't. You're amazing."_

"_That's what I was looking for." Spencer chuckled._

"_Well, I hope you're-"_

_I was cut off as she pressed her lips against mine in a tender kiss, and ran her fingers down my cheek. She pulled away a couple of seconds later, and I opened my eyes in alarm. "Damnit, you're so sweet when you're sweet." She murmured. _

"_Yes, that's what I got my sexual reputation for." I muttered back, and she laughed softly. _

"_Night." She said, standing up. "I'm tired."_

"_Me too. Sweet dreams."_

"_You too."_

I was grinning despite myself remembering all of that, and Spencer cocked her eyebrow at me, as she chucked the paper onto her seat. "You okay?"

"Yep." I straightened my facial expression.

My phone buzzed on the table beside my bed. I turned to her with a questioning look. She smiled, grabbed the phone and handed it to me. "I didn't even need to say anything." I grinned.

"I know." She smiled back, and pulled out her phone. "Whoa. Three missed calls."

"Who from?"

Her eyebrows furrowed in concern. "Blocked number..."

I glanced at her, and shook my head. "No. It's not who you're thinking of."

She didn't agree, instead smoothed her hair back with her hand. "And four new messages from another blocked number."

"Spence, A's dead." I said with confidence. "Maybe it's some reporters."

She opened the messages, and I noticed how she was already gnawing on her lip. "Spence..."

She froze. Like, utterly went stock-still. I don't think she even breathed. The colour drained from her face. Her shoulders trembled ever so slightly. But her face, her face simply said it all. It's that plummeting down to earth feeling you get when something goes so badly wrong, you know there's no going back. I immediately freaked out. "Spence!" I yelled.

She shivered, and with that small burst of movement, sprung into life. She held the phone out to me with a shaking hand. I took it, and felt adrenaline beginning to rocket into my veins, with an eerie familiarity.

**See you in hell soon, bitches. **

**-A**

"What does that mean?" Spencer muttered, her voice wobbly.

I took a deep breath, feeling my stomach drop down out of my body, and my mouth fall open with pure horror and terror. The hairs stood up on the back of my neck, and black dots suddenly spun in front of my eyes. I felt bile rise in my throat. "It-it can't be right." I stammered. "A's dead, Mona's dead-"

"We never thought they'd be working with someone else." Spencer said, her eyes wide, but full of fearful realization.

"What?"

"We just thought it was Noel and Mona. We never thought... oh my god..." She became fretful, and started gnawing at her nails. "They could have been working with another person."

"But Noel didn't say that, Spence."

"He didn't need to! Holy crap. We have to forward that to Hanna, Aria, tell them to stay where it's safe-"

"No, no, no..." I whispered, as everything crashed down around my ears with bone-jarring clarity.

And that's when Aria and Hanna decided to stroll on in. "Hey!" Aria said cheerfully.

Spencer and I turned to look at them with twin horrified expressions. They stopped in their tracks. "What- what's wrong?" Aria stammered.

"Why are you here?" I asked, trying to keep my breathing under control.

"Uh, you texted us, dude." Hanna smiled. "What do you need to tell us?"

"What?" Spencer asked. "We don't need to tell you anything, and we didn't text you, either."

"Oh no." I breathed, cupping my head in my hands. _So much for suddenly being the leader_. "Oh no, oh no, oh no."

Spencer crossed to my side, and I felt her arm drape round my back, the much-needed contact. "Wait... so if you didn't text us, who did?" Aria questioned, looking so perfectly calm and composed I could have screamed.

"We just got a text." Spencer began. "It was addressed from A, and the number was blocked. It said, see you in Hell bitches. And now you guys turn up here, thinking we texted you. Do you see why Emily's putting pieces together?"

Aria paled immediately. Hanna covered her mouth, muttering curse words. "No... It can't be A." She hissed. "Mona's dead!"

"We never thought that she could have been working with anyone other than Noel." I replied, heart thudding. "And if that wasn't true... Their associate could be coming after us."

"But-" Aria began, and then her phone buzzed, loudly.

We all turned to her. She whipped her phone out, looking terrified. And when she read the text, her jaw dropped open. "What's it say?" Hanna asked.

"It says **Die. -A**"

And with that, as we all gasped, I felt the earth move under the bed, and screamed. The shaking grew more intense, and there was a lurch, as the floor violently swung to one side. I saw a dark blur streak across my vision, and with a sickening realization, I knew it was Aria. She thudded against the wall, her head snapped back abruptly, and she yelled in pain. All of us were screaming now.

**Spencer POV**

Everything flickered black. I felt like I was falling slowly, plummeting into a thick black tar substance. Time was slowing down and my eyesight was turning fuzzy. There was an ear-splitting crack and another titanic jolt shook the room. I felt things thud around me with shocking clarity, and then my hearing dropped out and I slumped into unconsciousness.

And about ten minutes later, I seemed to wake. I wasn't sure. Everything was so still and quiet, I didn't know whether I was asleep or not. For one moment I thought I was in my bedroom, and I'd had a bad dream, so woken up.

My lungs felt raw, and I couldn't breathe. My nose was clotted with something. My mouth was rasping for air, but I didn't seem to be receiving any. I heard screams all around me, and tried to open my eyes. But they were caked thick with dust.

I heard one scream which seemed to be going on, again and again, growing steadily more hoarse. I couldn't figure out who it was. With a lightning strike of horrified clarity, I knew it was me. I tried to stop but somehow I couldn't prevent my mouth from opening and closing to make these animalistic shrieks of fear. _What do I do? Oh, God, what do I do?_

I coughed, choked on something in the air, and fell into a wracking fit which spasmed my whole body. I felt my hands, and I could feel my legs. _That's a good sign_. And then I managed to peel my eyelids open.

I was lying on the floor sideways on, and I first noted all the shattered glass on the floor. I looked up and realized I was under Em's bed. _I fell under it when the... the bomb? Went off. Oh God, was that a bomb? _

My body was shaking with fear but I managed to control my arms enough to try and drag me out from under the bed. I could still hear screams. I looked to the door, which was a shattered mess of splintered wood, pieces of which were scattered across the floor, like a toddler's playthings. The table was on its side, the papers which I had on it wafting to the ground. And in the corner, like some sick memorial, was the roses someone had sent Em, cast around the room, making a contrast with the shattered glass and fragmented wood.

Dust was wafting thick through the air and I realized it was what I'd choked on earlier. My arm immediately wrapped around my mouth to prevent me from breathing any more in. I pulled myself out from under the bed, trying to avoid the glass, and tried to sit up, to stand up.

I felt dizzy. Something warm and wet began dripping slowly down my face. I knew exactly what it was, but was too afraid to touch it. At the moment, there was no pain. Only numbness. The screaming petered out. I was sitting on the floor in a wreck of a room, and I decided to gaze up. But I could see nothing but blackness. And I felt a hand grab my ankle.

I screamed again, not knowing who it was, unable to see through the blackness which hovered around my vision, preventing me from seeing a foot in front of me. And Hanna's face loomed into view, pale, with blood running from her nose down her lips and dripping off her chin. "Spencer." She rasped.

I realized I was panting, and tried to speak. "Han." I managed to moan.

"We need to get the others." She muttered.

"Where are they?"

But Hanna was staring at me with wide eyes, eyes that communicated fear and horror. "S-Spence, your hands." She choked.

I glanced down at them, with a detached feeling. There were several large slashes across the back of both my hands, deep ones, and as I watched, ones that were bleeding freely, scarlet running down my slick wrists and across my fingers. I turned them palmside up and saw even more open gashes. And for some reason, they didn't hurt at all. But I knew it was shock preventing me from feeling anything. I grimaced, looked away. "Aria and Emily."

Hanna tore her eyes from my hands and nodded once, and attempted to stand up. She struggled, weak, and suddenly bellowed at the top of her voice, "HELP!"

I tried to rub the dust out of my eyes with the crook of my elbow, and looked for any movement. Hanna continued shouting. "HELP! SOMEBODY HELP US!"

There was a dark human-shaped lump to my right, and I tried to shuffle towards it, avoiding the broken glass, and beginning to yell too, despite the dust I could taste in my mouth trying to make a bid for freedom down my throat. I spat, disgustingly onto the floor, and noticed it was grey and flecked. "H-HELP! HELP!" I tried to shout but folded in another coughing fit.

Once it had subsided, I heard a siren far in the distance. _Or is it just the ringing in my ears? _I managed to slide on my knees towards what I feared was a crumpled body. I reached my hands out towards it despite myself, and rolled it gently towards me.

It was definitely a body, and at that, Aria's. I remembered her thudding against the wall and cringed. "ARIA!" I screamed, horrified as her face rolled into view towards me.

It was miraculously free of serious injury, but I could see bruises already forming around her skull. _Concussion. Oh God, she could have a concussion. _She didn't stir as I screamed at her. And then I looked at her black and white dress, now speckled with soot and splinters of wood.

She had been by the window, sagging against the wall as it exploded. I knew that as soon as I looked at her. Through her dress, I could see large bloody circle wounds, about the sizes of a dime. I sucked my breath in, and attempted to brush the glass which had cascaded onto her belly off her. Somehow I managed not to cut myself in the process. "ARIA!" I screamed again, still coughing.

Hanna shrieked, and I know she'd seen Aria's body. I tried to whip around to face her but all I could manage was a sluggish stagger. "WHERE'S YOUR PHONE?"

She reached into her pocket, wiping the blood which was threatening to drip into her eye, and miraculously pulled out her phone, which had somehow survived the crash to the floor. "CALL 911!" I ordered.

She dialled as I put my ear onto Aria's chest to check if she was breathing. I felt a slight rise, and an even slighter fall. Trying not to panic, I grabbed her limp arm, and clamped my fingers to her pulse point. "It's _so _weak." I gasped.

Hanna was screaming again, and I gazed at her, as she waggled the phone. "IT'S NOT WORKING!"

I took a deep breath and hollered several curse words, but tried to focus on Aria. She wasn't moving at all, and I could feel panic beginning to set in. It was getting harder to breathe as more choking dust rose up from the floor. And then I remembered Emily.

"WE NEED TO FIND EMILY!" I shouted at Hanna, and moved away from Aria. "LOOK AFTER HER. I'LL FIND EM!"

For once in her life, she took my orders to heart without saying anything. She dragged herself over to Aria, grabbed her dress, and ripped it open, sending buttons flying.

If it had been a calmer situation, I would have made some sarcastic comment about how Hanna was being a bit forward. But now all I could do was gawk at the blood, already beginning to clot, on her pale skin, and how many wounds she seemed to have. It was way nastier than any horror movie I've ever seen. I could practically see layers of bone and tissue through the holes in her skin. But I forced myself to look away, feeling the familiar heave of nausea. Then I went crawling over to where I thought Emily was.

I grabbed the warped bedposts to pull myself up, and gasped, as I saw a massive chunk of mortar, which had landed right in the middle of Emily's bed. It was as big as an oven, and looked like it weighed a tonne. _And I was under that. Holy crap. _

But amazement about how I'd survived didn't strike me yet. I fearfully checked for any signs of Emily's body on the bed, but there was none, and I practically breathed a sigh of relief. I clambered round to the left side of the bed, covering my mouth so I didn't choke on the dust, and I glimpsed her white hospital scrubs curled to the wall. I could have cried out with happiness.

But then common sense kicked in, and I scrambled forward, grabbing her shoulder and moving her away from the wall she had pressed herself against. Despite my ears being damaged from the blast, her injured moan was loud enough to penetrate the continual ringing. I sent a quick prayer of grateful thanks to whatever deity was up there that she was alive. "EM! CAN YOU HEAR ME?"

She groaned in reply, and rolled to the side, allowing me to see her face. Glass and splinters of wood were scattered in her hair, and there were dusty scratches all over her face, but there were no other visible injuries other than that. I tried to pat her face, to get her to wake and open her eyes, but my hands were beginning to throb and sting, due to their various injuries, and it soon became impossibly painful. I pulled my elbow up and dug it into her face, not wanting to hurt her, but knowing how urgent it was for her to wake.

I repeated the motion, yelling at the top of my voice. "EMILY! WAKE UP! EMILY! WAKE! UP! GET UP NOW!"

Her eyelids fluttered open, but they were caked with dust, and I managed to move my thumbs enough to wipe the cloaking grit from them. I kept yelling, and finally her eyes flickered open. She recognized me immediately, wild-eyed, and stared around her. "S-S-Spence? What's going on?" She mumbled.

"WE HAVE TO GET OUT!" I hollered. "CAN YOU MOVE?"

"I think so?" She replied, gaining control of her voice.

She tried to pull herself up but I stopped her. "THERE'S GLASS! BE CAREFUL! FOLLOW ME!"

I shuffled awkwardly once again out from under the bed, becoming increasingly aware of how badly my hands hurt. It was like they'd been dipped in acid and set on fire all at once. The throbbing was too much for me to bear, and I was crying out in agony every ten seconds. Blood was dripping off my elbows now, and I was dragging myself on my butt forward slowly. Em of course was much more mobile than me, and reached my side as I bent over in an appalling wave of torment. "Are you hurt?" She asked, her voice so quiet I could barely hear it.

I grimaced in reply, but kept dragging myself towards the door, and towards Hanna. Hanna herself had ripped her expensive, silk, beautiful blue shirt off. The shirt she most loved to wear, her favourite. We used to joke about how she was going to marry that shirt at one point, since she insisted it went with absolutely anything. It was honestly her most loved item of clothing.

And now it was wound around Aria's stomach to staunch the blood, dark stains already appearing in it. Without even hesitating Hanna Marin, fashion queen, had sacrificed her favourite shirt to save the life of her friend. For those who think this is stupid and insignificant, clearly, you've never met Hanna.

"SPENCER, I NEED YOURS FOR HER LEGS!" She boomed, indicating to my shirt.

"HER LEGS?" I replied, scuttling over.

And then I glimpsed her bare legs, and the blood I could see seeping from them. _No, that's definitely not her period_. I peeled my shirt off, tried to brush it (due to all the grime and broken glass clinging to it), and chucked it towards Hanna. She grabbed it, and neatly tied it around Aria's leg, applying as much pressure as she could.

There was a sudden splintering noise, and light burst into the room as five people in fluorescent yellow uniforms smashed down what was left of the door. They stepped forward warily, but right then, the "PARAMEDIC" written across their vests was the best thing I could have ever seen.

Of course, four girls, two half-naked, one lying bloody on the floor, and the other sitting there with a bunch of glass shining in her hair was probably one of the worst sights they've ever seen. And Hanna, being typical Hanna, was humourous even in a crisis

"WELL, HELLO THERE!"

**I'm adding this chapter now because I'm going to go off on a tramp so won't update for at least a week :/ trust me, I don't want to do it! Hope you guys enjoy, I'm sorry for yet another cliffhanger, and sent me suggestions!**

**Oh yeah, and before I forget, REVIEW AND YOU GET MY VIRTUAL LOVE THROUGH A COMPUTER SCREEN. **

**Ta very much x**


	20. Caleb's Angst

The reporter looked into the glaring eye of the camera, shuffled her notes, glanced at the telereader propped just at eye-level, and began.

"_A suicide bomb attack in Rosewood, California, has shocked Americans worldwide, killing four people and injuring nine. The victims were all civilians, but it was reported the two fatalities were not easy to recognize due to the horrific nature of the blast. It is not known who is responsible for the attack, but the authorities are recognizing al-Qaeda as suspects. However, locals are claiming that it was not, in fact, a terrorist organization but a lone perpetrator. Our reporter, James McDonald, has more."_

The camera's light flickered off and she breathed a little, keeping composure, knowing the report had flickered to a livestream of McDonald standing outside the ruined hospital. Indeed, as she turned to her right, McDonald appeared on the enormous TV screen beside her, clutching his microphone, looking professional and poised.

"_I'm here at the Rosewood District Hospital in California where this attack took place, at approximately ten'o'clock in the morning. As you can see behind me-" _He waved to the crumbled building behind him, and the camera zoomed in enough to see the gaping warped hole in the side of it, complete with bent metal and shattered bricks and glass "_that the bomb has blown up on the __right side of the building and has generated an explosion which has taken down about a quarter of the building. One doctor claimed it was a miracle that not more people were hurt and killed, as there are over 200 people in this hospital at any one time. We have been interviewing witnesses all day, as there are many, and have managed to establish most of the identities of the dead and wounded. Let's cut to our report."_

The cameraman gave McDonald a thumbs up and he sagged, straightened his tie, and gazed behind him at the ruined building. As he watched, a pile of bricks shifted their weight under the strain of the broken timber leaning on it, and collapsed down to the ground with a clatter. Shouting immediately rose up from the grounds around the hospital, and McDonald's expression grew taut. This had been happening all day. He quietly crossed himself, a religious man, and clasped his hands in prayer.

The footage that over 40,000 people were watching now showed an earlier clip of survivors being dragged out of the wrecked hospital. The first video was a woman, in her early 50s with blood soaking into her collar, from a raw cut above her eyelid. Her copper hair was strewn, covered in dust and blood but her eyes darted about, the only parts of her which looked alive. She lay on a stretcher, a oxygen mask clamped onto her face, and the camera followed her path as she was carried away from the bombsite. She stretched her hand out towards the cameraman, eyes wide with disbelief, and then the camera swung away. McDonald's informative voiceover became irrelevant. He had successfully transformed the factual story into a human issue.

"_We are hearing reports of a man wearing a suicide bomb vest, with dynamite strapped to him, causing the explosion." _He explained as footage of the smashed windows and demolished building flared onto the screen._"Witnesses claim the bomb came out of nowhere, that there was absolutely no warning." _

This time it changed to a young handsome man in his 20s, with wavy black hair and stunning blue eyes. He looked exhausted, with bags under said eyes, clutching a newspaper in his hands. McDonald was interviewing him. _"Do you know anyone who is in the building?"_

He was silent for about two seconds, looking confidently into the camera._ "My girlfriend. She's in there. I need to know if she's okay or-or n-not."_

He stumbled over his words, unusual for a man who chose to spend his life teaching students how to be eloquent_. "Where were you when the bomb went off?"_ McDonald pressed, a hungry terrier desperate for information.

A captioned name spilled neatly out onto the screen of televisions around America,"Ezra Fitz- Witness."

Ezra spoke clearly and factually this time_. "I was on my way to the hospital to see her friend, and her, she was in there. She was in the building at the time, I know. I was walking up the path towards it when I felt the ground shake, so I threw myself to the ground."_

He paused for breath, looking away from the camera. McDonald was about to ask another question, but Ezra cut across him_. "The blast rocketed through the ground, and I heard an explosion. It nearly popped my eardrums. Then there was another about two seconds later. I heard a ripping, tearing noise, and the thought occurred to me that the hospital had been bombed. I ran away as fast as I could as the right section of the hospital... collapsed."_

He finished, rubbing his vivid eyes, but McDonald wanted to know more_. "Do you know what __happened?"_

His eyebrows furrowed_. "No, I do not. Wild rumours are flying about the place. Some people are saying that it was a suicide bomber. I heard some saying it was... Wren Kim, one of the district doctors, no one's seen him all day."_

McDonald thanked him, and Ezra nodded, and leaned in close to the camera. _"Her name's Aria Montgomery, please, if you're watching, remember that name. If anyone knows anything about her, please find me, I need to know... Anything... At all..." _And his voice cut off, and he turned away, dabbing at his eyes, the bright blue tinged with red.

The footage cut to the State Governor, who's big brass voice boomed out through the microphone he had before him, at a press conference_. "My thoughts go out to the families of those injured and killed." _He said_. "This is a shocking, disgusting act, and I promise that we will find the perpetrators soon. No one welcomes war and violence. This is an act of war and violence."_

He paused, gripping the stand, gazing at the assembled press before him_. "I say to you today, Californians, we shall come through this. From Palm 46 in our Bible, God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore, we shall not fear. We shall come through this."_

And then the camera switched back to the reporter again. _"Thank you McDonald."_ She said, keeping tradition of thanking reporters for their stories. _"We will be bringing updates through the hour on this situation. Meanwhile-" _and she rustled her papers yet again _"A man convicted of stalking popular singer Lady Gaga, and threatening to kill her, has been caught in Arizona."_

And so the news switched.

**Caleb POV**

It was a dark night, that was turned the tint of orange by rusty streetlights, with splashes of blue and red from the sirens. I watched cars parked all around the hospital, people leaning against them talking into their phones, some standing with crossed arms and tight faces. One woman was sobbing uncontrollably against her Mercedes. No one moved to help her. We were all too lost in our own trauma.

Hanna had said her friends had texted her, that they needed her at the hospital. And now she was somewhere inside. I thought of her, alive and well, waiting for rescue patiently. No, that wouldn't be the Hanna way. She'd be making a massive racket by now, like an upset child. When the paramedics found her, she'd be giving them a decent piece of her mind.

_Not "if they find her" like so many people have said to me. _

_No way if._

_When._

_When they do find her. _

But images kept sneaking into my head, ones of her unconscious and bloody, ones of her throat slit like a god-awful horror movie, ones where her limbs were trapped and she was calling, desperately, shrieking for help before it was too-

_But I can't think that. That isn't what's happened at all._

She was OK. She was alive. I knew she was. I could feel it in every fibre of my being. I just had to wait, and fight my demons, and smile to keep everyone happy.

I picked up my phone again. I kept fidgeting and checking it every minute, desperate for news. It displayed no new messages, and I bit down my disappointment once more. I'd tried calling her, of course, and there was no reply. My texts had bounced back. I was only just getting through to her voicemail. I cupped my head in my hands, and for the first time, started praying.

_Hey, God. I know I've never talked to you before, and I've expressed serious disbelief in you all my life. I'm gonna ask you one favour. One favour only. C'mon, dude, you can grant me that._

_Just make sure Hanna's okay for me, big guy? Please. I know she is already so it's only one measly little thing. If you're up there, do something for your man Caleb. Just get her in my arms. _

_Get her in my arms so I can hug her, and never let her go, and smell her shampoo and how small she feels. Get her in my arms so we can mock dance around the kitchen and whisper to each other and laugh bawdily like we're drunk. Get her in my arms so I can play with her blonde curly hair and smile at the expression in her eyes and trace the outline of her cheekbones with my fingers. _

_Please, man. One little favour. You know you can do it. If what they say is right, you can do anything. You're the big guy in the sky. You can do whatever you want. _

_Don't take her from me. I know you won't. _

_But, still._

_Please keep her safe, O Lord. _

I raised my head from my hands and looked at my phone again, half-hoping the power of God had already done its funky business. But there was nothing. I decided to try and call Hanna again.

"Hey, this is Hanna!" Her voicemail bubbled, and I started at the sound of her voice. "Please leave a message after the beep."

"Beep!" Her friends and her chorused, and then broke into giggles.

"No, that wasn't it!" She laughed, and I could somehow see the happy grin on her face. "Now it is!"

A tinny beep echoed, and I knew I was through to the recording. I had no idea what to say. "Hanna-" I started, and my voice broke, tears finally drizzling out of my eyes, choking on the waterfall of emotion which poured through me.

"Come out baby." I sobbed, sniffing and rubbing my eyes like I was five all over again. "I need you. I love you."

It was so unlike me to cry that I even felt a little surprised at myself, but this was swept over in the deluge of misery. I was afraid, so afraid, of the hollow numbness that could only mean one thing.

_Death_.

And the beep signalling the end of the voicemail went off, but I didn't care, didn't care about anything anymore, couldn't give a shit who saw me, couldn't care less about being the cool bad guy, the cold emotionless one.

I wasn't that guy anymore. Hanna had seen inside me and drawn out this immature boy, this goofy smiley bubbly guy, and I didn't want to reverse to the cool bad guy anymore. I wanted to be the goofy bubbly one, the one which had Hanna in his arms and felt in love and felt so free. And I needed Hanna to be that guy. _I need her to set me free of everything. _

"Come back baby." I sobbed again, bitter and twisted and emotional.

_I need you, Hanna, please. I know you're there. Come to me, come home. _

_Please. _

_Hanna._

_Please._

_I need you. _

**Tanya POV**

"So, for a first date, I wasn't too bad, hey?" Mike asked, running a hand through his downy brown hair, giving a bashful grin.

"You were excellent." I smiled back, scooping my bag up from the table.

"Great." He sighed, evidently pleased and relieved. "Chinese food is always good to get first date, I find."

"You can never go wrong with Chinese food." I agreed. "At least, if a girl doesn't like Chinese food, she's either a racist or a complete weirdo. And I doubt you want to date either of those."

"Too right." He smiled. "Let me just pay."

"No, it's okay, I have money-" I began.

"Uh-uh." He wagged his finger at me. "A gentleman always pays."

"So you're a gentleman now?" I asked, raising my eyebrow, smiling.

"I always was a gentleman. Can't you see my very fine moustache?" He acted dorkily, pretending to stroke an imaginary beard.

"Oh, you mean your very fine butt fluff. Yes. That's certainly grand." I giggled, particularly when he pretended to get mad.

"You pay for your meal then." He stropped, but laughed, and passed money down onto the table. I tried not to boggle my eyes. _Some kids get a heck of a lot of pocket money..._

The TV above our heads flashed, alerting my attention. "We interrupt this programme to bring you a CNN update." The lady reporter undertoned.

Mike's arm slid around my waist, and my cheeks flared red with pride and happiness, but I continued watching the report.

"_A suicide bomb attack in Rosewood, California, has killed four people and injured nine. The victims were all civilians, but it was reported the two fatalities were not easy to recognize due to the horrific nature of the blast. It is not known who is responsible for the attack, but the authorities are recognizing al-Qaeda as suspects. However, locals are claiming that it was not, in fact, a terrorist organization but a lone perpetrator. We will bring you further updates as they come."_

The news fanfare started again, triumphant and loud, but I had gone icy inside. My stomach plumetted and I wished I hadn't chosen Sweet and Sour Pork. My mouth fell open. Mike turned to me, face ashy and eyes wide. "My sister was there." He muttered, looking aghast.

"So was mine." I breathed, puzzle pieces clicking together.

He moved so swiftly, compared to my frozen state, that he seemed like a shadowy ninja. "We have to go. Now." He insisted, taking my hand. "Let's move."

"How are we going to get there?" I asked as he dragged me out onto the street.

"TAXI!" He hollered, putting his fingers in his mouth to whistle, and one pulled up immediately out of the steady stream of traffic. We bundled inside, my question answered. "Rosewood Hospital, please, fast as you possibly can." Mike steamed, waving a stack of bills at the driver.

"Right away sir." The driver nodded, and stepped on the gas.

"She'll be okay." I told Mike, squeezing his hand. "Both of them. They'll both be okay."

He turned on me quickly, like a striking cobra, and I practically flinched, until I realized he was trying to tell me something. "Did you see the newspapers this morning?" He asked hoarsely.

"Yes." I replied.

I could remember picking it up and reading all of it in disbelief. And yet slowly, as it sunk in, it all made sense. It was an extraordinary thing which happened in an average town, but everything fit together. And when Spencer had confessed to thinking I was "A", I hadn't been offended at all. I was merely relieved she had a reason for being so cold to me, and I supposed if I had been in her situation, I would have acted the same. All in all, I had felt satisfied that their story made sense.

"What if it's that... A person?" He asked, chewing his fingernail.

"But Mona was killed, and Noel's in jail." I replied, staring into his piercing blue eyes.

"What if there was another?" He asked, face somewhere else entirely.

I thought about it, and looked away, out to the glaring lights and passing cars. "Maybe." I murmured. "But we can't know yet."

The neon glow of the lampost reflected out onto his dark face, highlighting the shadows within his eyes. He slowly clenched his fists, then unclenched them, a muscle working in his jaw. "What if we could?" He asked softly.

"What?"

"What if we could know if there was another?"

**AND IT'S ANOTHER CLIFFHANGER :D I'm sorry! I love writing them so much! What do you think Mike knows? :P and poor Caleb... I didn't enjoy writing that. I had to do lots of research into newspaper reports. Who do you think is the 3****rd**** member of the A gang? :D as always, review and I love you :) **


	21. The Girl With The A Tattoo

**Emily POV**

A fire engine was directly in front of me, blocking my view of the destructed building, its bright red paint seeming out of place with the darkness of this situation. Around it lay chaos, and fear. Paramedics trotted past me, a splash of neon cheerful yellow against the grey dusty ground. Sirens pealed through the air. Apart from that, there was silence, except for the occasional crash in the distance, and occasionally, panicked shouts.

An overweight woman sat to my right, with short choppy brown hair, holding an oxygen mask to her mouth and gasping. Her cheap-looking phone was clutched in her chubby fingers, rivulets of ashy tears flowing down her cheeks, her mouth a wobbly crease. Every now and then she emitted a small sob. I stared at her blandly, and tried to be compassionate. "Who's in there?" I asked huskily.

She turned to me with bewildered eyes. "Sorry?"

I repeated my question, and she gazed right through me. "My mother." She whimpered.

I nodded, and would have smiled, but my face felt flat and lifeless. Instead I glowered out at the bright fire engine again, and wished, not for the first time, that the colour was not so vibrant. It made my head hurt to look at it. Yet there was no where else I could look, apart from down at my crossed legs on the park bench seat, and to my left, where streetlights trailed into blackness. I sighed.

It took me a minute to realize the woman was asking me a question, and I shook myself to attention. "What about you?" She croaked.

"Same."

"What?"

"My mother is in there too." I managed, numb.

She nodded with quiet acknowledgement. "It's terrible, isn't it? Waiting. Not knowing what's going to happen."

I stayed mute, staring at my crossed hands, breathing deeply as sirens pealed off into the distance yet again. The woman seemed keen to talk however. "Were you in there when it happened?"

I felt surprised, a relief from the clenching emptiness which threatened to consume me, then a black hole seemed to suck even that small emotion out of me. "How can you tell?"

She gestured to my face. "Your bandages."

"Oh. Yeah."

There were several small scratches on my face, which looked like I'd been in a fight with a cactus, the paramedics had cheerfully remarked. I'd bared my teeth in a sickly grin back at them. They'd set up a makeshift hospital just outside the real hospital, and a generous family had volunteered their home out for the doctors to do their work. I'd been taken care of there, plasters stuck on my face, glass brushed out of my hair, and a bandage wrapped round my wrist. Then, as soon as they were sure I could walk and talk, they let me go.

And I'd returned straight here. I knew Spencer would understand. Really, I didn't know where Spencer was. The cuts on her hands had been very severe, they'd said. They'd whisked her off and left me on a park bench, clutching a cold mug of tea, staring blankly as a fat woman attempted to chat to me. My head was throbbing, and I massaged it. The woman was still staring at me, hope sparking in her eyes, and I felt a pang in my chest of compassion. "Is there any chance she could have survived?" She asked, desperate for information.

I suddenly felt like I had to act. I threw my cold tea across my shoulder, ignored her shocked expression, and stood up. "Absolutely." I confirmed. "I got out of there. Don't give up hope. She's in there waiting for rescue. Any minute now, she'll come out."

Her eyes grew wider and shining. "You mean that?"

"Of course." I emphasized. "Don't ever give up hope. It's all you've got now."

She began to cry again, and I politely glanced away. "Thank you, thank you." She wailed.

"It's okay." I murmured. And began to walk.

I knew where I had to go, and for some reason, I knew Spencer would be there waiting for me. I was still wearing grimy hospital pyjamas, and as the wind blew, it bit cold on my skin. I shivered, and gazed up at the night sky, framed by streetlights. The stars still twinkled. The moon was still hanging picture-perfect in the sky. But I didn't look upon them with my usual adoration. I felt empty.

It seemed like hours before I reached the glowing warmth of the "medic house", but I knew it had only been ten minutes. Ten minutes left alone with my thoughts were dangerous ones. I shivered again, though not from the cold. I knew I had to get to Spencer, see where the others were, before I began to think dangerously. I stepped into the light, and winced. The door was wide open yet I was hovering outside.

And then I heard it, the one sound which made goosebumps of eerie recognition rise on my skin, the voice that even had the trace of a smile in it despite everything, the low husky voice which I knew so well. I took that as an invitation, and stepped through the door.

Spencer was sitting there, hands in thick bandages, looking tired, sick and pale, but alive. I knew I probably didn't look much better with plasters jammed all over my face. She was having a conversation with someone, but it immediately dried up as soon as I came in. Her gaze switched to my face, and didn't leave it for several seconds. "Em." She said, kindness and love and empathy drenching my name.

I couldn't take the sudden onslaught of emotions she was trying to feed me. I looked away. "Mom's still in there." I said, vapid.

She stood up, looking so devastated, and made to move towards me, but I flinched away, and she stayed standing with open arms. I knew somehow her eyes were widening with surprise. "Em." She said again, this time the tone completely different.

She sounded shocked, and a little hurt, but I couldn't look at her to check. I stared down at the carpet, fingers curling at my sides. Shivers crawled up my spine.

Spencer took a step towards me, slow, and then another, until she was right next to me. "Look at me." She said quietly.

And it was her voice alone enough to prick the warning signs of tears in my eyes, but I wouldn't meet her own eyes. If I did that, I would just full-out sob like a baby. I turned my head to the side and wished I had a pillow to smother my face in. Her bandages brushed my cheek. "Come on."

"No." I said babyishly, wincing at how wobbly my voice sounded.

"Hey." She said, so gently, so tender, I was blinking hard to keep the waterfall from coming. "Come on."

I bit my lip and screwed up my eyes, because it was about to come thick and fast. "I'm so scared." I blurted.

"Em." Spencer breathed, one more time, full of so much compassion I burst.

She wrapped her arms around me and I nuzzled into her shoulder, tried to breathe, but my lungs were constricting impossibly tight. A hot streak spilt down my cheek, and I struggled to sob. She attempted to weakly rub my back with her thick bandages. "Hey, hey." She said soothingly.

I pulled away, scrubbing at my eyes with my palms, shaking my head, trying to stop the tears. She watched me, looking completely agonized. "Look into the light." She told me.

"What?" I gurgled.

"Look into the lamp, looking into a bright light helps when you're trying not to cry."

Dear Spencer, reasonable and helpful and clever as ever. I gazed up into the lamp. She moved to be beside me. "Whatever happens." She murmured, so lightly, I could feel her breath on the nape of my neck. "We're in it together."

I nodded, and pressed my lips hard together. It took several moments, but I recovered. I looked back at her, and she smiled weakly. "Together." I whispered.

"Yeah." She agreed. "Together. That means you have to stop shouldering all your problems like the great big martyr you are. You tell me what's on your mind."

"Is this going back to the whole "you gotta be open thing"?"

"Yep." She said, without even a pause. "I mean it."

I managed to look into her eyes, and was surprised to see them bright and bloodshot. "Why are you crying?" I asked confusedly.

"I'm not." She denied, blinking.

"You are." I retorted.

She sighed, and moved to push hair off my face, but halfway through realized her hands were bandaged and clumsy. She pouted with annoyance and I could have laughed at her adorable expression. "I hate seeing you cry." She admitted.

"Hey, this is the first time, according to you." I replied, pushing a strand of her hair off her face.

"Yeah, and I hate it!" She said, and I almost laughed again.

A nurse approached her. "Ms Hastings?" She asked, peering up above her clipboard.

"That's me." She smiled politely.

"We need to change your bandages. Come along." She explained.

"Can Emily come with?" Spencer immediately asked, pointing to me, like a little kid asking if their mommy could hold their hand. Oh. Pun.

"Of course." The nurse assured her. "How are those feeling?"

She gestured to Spence's hands, and she shrugged. "Pretty numb. You guys gave me some strong painkillers."

"Industrial strength." The nurse affirmed, as she led us into the gym-area, where walls were draped with white sheets and seats with injured people in them were spread everywhere.

She offered Spencer a plastic seat, and Spence sat in it, spreading her bandages palms up. Rather than take a seat from an injured person, I kneeled beside her. The nurse sent me an approving look. Then she peeled the dressings off, and I couldn't stop myself gasping.

_Oh, that is just plain nasty_. Spence had been her typical brave, clever self, and not made a sound about how agonizing the injuries must have been. Her left was crisscrossed with bloody scars, and painted bright red. The bandages had been so thick they'd compressed most of the bleeding, but the ones closest to her hand was absolutely drenched with scarlet. My eyes widened, and I grabbed her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. She didn't seem bothered in any way, gazing down at it in what eerily looked like intrigue.

"A." She said, matter of factly, spreading her fingers wide, despite her obvious pain.

"Spencer!" I hissed, and gently took her fingers, closing them as delicately as I could.

"No." She remonstrated me. "Look at it. A."

I glanced down at her wounds, despite my shivers, and suddenly saw what she meant. A deep gash had sliced diagonally up and across her palm, and another had torn down from it. Another, smaller slash fell across the two, so it creepily looked like an "A". Like the sort of A's you see on Anarchy shirts. Without the circle. I gazed at it, slightly hypnotized. "That's gonna last you for life." I thought out loud.

"They are probably, I'm afraid." The nurse agreed. "You need stitches now, so I'm going to up your pain killers, and then sew them up. It's probably going to feel quite weird but not hurt too much."

Spencer didn't seem to hear her. She instead turned to me. "A lasting reminder." She said bitterly.

I couldn't think of anything to say to that. Instead, I rubbed her shoulder as the needle sliced through her skin, and when she whimpered ever so slightly in pain, I whispered encouraging, positive words to her, fingers playing through her hair. Finally, it was done. The stitches were threateningly dark against her pale skin, and the torn flaps of skin looked so painful I was biting my lip myself. "It's okay, Spencer. You're done." I told her.

She groaned, and then shook herself together. "Right." She said, business-like. "More bandages?"

"For now." The nurse said, and applied them.

"I probably have to go back now." I told her.

She shot a questioning look in my direction, and I responded suit. "Back to the the ambulance."

Another questioning look. "I'm waiting for Mom to come out." I said, as neutrally as I could make it.

The nurse doing the bandages froze, like she'd heard something she wasn't supposed to, and nervously looked up at me. I gazed away, not wanting her pity. She coughed awkwardly, and then spoke: "If you stay here, it's probably smarter. If we find her, we'll bring her straight here."

_If. If. _I tried to smile weakly, but _if _was stuck in my head, and my expression must have notably turned darker, for Spencer immediately sprung up. "That's not an if, ma'am."

"Pardon?" The nurse asked, taken aback.

"You said, if she comes out." Spencer repeated. "It isn't an if. It's a when. But thank you anyway for telling my friend the wise solution."

I could have laughed at Spence's typical defensive nature when it came to me, but the hollowness in my gut tugged it all away. The nurse finished wrapping her bandages, looking suitably wounded, and nodded to me and Spence. "O-of course."

She walked away, and I swear I saw Spencer look satisfied. I gave her a reproachful look. "You don't have to protect me all the time." I told her.

"It's not protecting if it's true." Spence insisted. "Now, come on. Help me up."

I wrapped my hands around her shoulders and lifted her tenderly, and she spun in my arms so she was facing me. "It's true." She whispered. "I promise."

"You can't promise anything." I said bitterly.

"I can. Did I ever tell you my last name is Christ?" She joked, but I wasn't in the mood. She looked deeply into my eyes, with a look of undeniable compassion. "Hey. Denial is the main source of hope."

"Denying, you mean, the fact my mother could have suffocated or been crushed in that building?" I snarled, inexplicably angry.

"That hasn't happened." She responded instantly. "And you know how I know?"

I gave her a baleful glare, and she took that as a signal to continue. "Because I know it in my heart. And you do too."

"I know hollowness." I replied, painfully honest once again.

"We have hope, and faith." She went on, ignoring that comment, and I was grateful for it. "And that's all we need, okay?"

I sighed, and slowly nodded my head, just to make her feel like she'd succeeded. _Typical me_. And changed the subject. "Is your family all okay?"

_Ooh. That got her_. She visibly tensed. "I wouldn't know." She replied, and tried to bustle off.

I caught her hips, pulling her towards me. "No you don't." I remarked, and a smile twitched across her face.

"Why wouldn't you know?" I asked. "You haven't contacted them?"

"Phone got busted." She shrugged.

"They must be so worried about you!" I responded instantly, my stupid tenderheartedness blazing through. "You should contact them."

She shook her head. "They know I'm here. I was on the news earlier, on people they'd recovered from the building."

"That's not good enough!" I snapped.

"It's good enough for a Hastings!" She retorted.

I gave her a careful look, unsure of how to phrase what I was going to say next. "And you're not worried about them?"

She shrugged again, and I could have strangled her. "Spence!"

"All the people I worry about are here in this building." She said softly, speaking directly to me in that funny way where she made me feel like there was no one else around.

I sighed at her sweet statement, and tried to battle through the overall cuteness determinedly, but once she grinned shyly there was no going back. "And the main one is right in front of me."

That one touched my heart. "You shouldn't worry about me." I murmured.

"Why not?" She asked, looking interested.

"Because... because." I began, words dried up. "I can take care of myself."

"That'd be why your ear has been partly shot off, you got a bullet embedded in your neck, you fell unconscious after a bomb blast, and, oh yeah, your ankle also snapped after chasing a psychopathic killer."

I had to see some humour in that, especially because her round hazel eyes were twinkling with a bright mirth that set a spark of warmth inside my chest. I touched my ribs ponderingly. It was funny, about how I'd felt so dismally dead just a half hour ago. Like no emotion could even brush against me. And then Spencer had appeared with twinkling eyes and brilliant smile and hoarse laugh, and I'd momentarily forgotten the whole crappiness of my situation. Being around her was like finally slipping off to sleep, after staying up all night with worry. She numbed everything, made the world look brighter in a hazy dreamlike way. _And I doubt she even knew_.

"Okay, so that was a bad point." I started, and she chuckled dryly. And then I realized I really had nothing else to say.

"I suppose I worry pointlessly about you too." I shrugged.

"It's part of loving someone." Spencer smiled, and carefully disentangled my hands from her hips. "Want coffee?"

My mouth gaped at what she just said. _Oh my God. The "L" word? Whoa. Back up the truck. She used the L word. Which isn't lesbian. Which isn't even lesbians. It's LOVE? _"Uh, sure." I blurted.

"Cool." She nodded once, and waltzed away.

Like nothing had just happened. I tried to choke down a breath, which had all been knocked out of me, and bit down on my finger to stop my insane smile. She came back with coffee ten minutes later, and I acted as casual as I could, but everyone now and then we'd pause conversation, and I noted the light in her eyes and the gentle tug of a smile on her lips. Eventually we ran out of things to talk about, as fatigue took a turn for the worse. She tutted quietly to herself, scrunched around to get comfortable on the sofa we'd sat down on, and lay her head on my crossed legs, staring up into my face. "It's gonna be okay." She whispered again. "I promise."

I opened my mouth to retort, but her eyes were so wide and honest and directly boring into mine I didn't do anything. I couldn't, not with that confident positive face. My gaze flickered to her lips, then back to her eyes, and she noticed, a pink tint colouring her cheeks. I took that as an invitation, and cupped her chin with my hand, leant down and gently brushed lips with her. "Goodnight." I murmured.

She smiled triumphantly, if sleepily, and then her eyes drooped shut, and she seemed to fall asleep instantly on my legs. I leant against the sofa backing, closed my eyes, and breathed deep.

It was eleven thirty when I heard sirens blaring right outside, and my body was actually too exhausted to even move. My eyes cracked open a tiny bit, enough to see a stretcher being dragged through by shouting ambulance guys, and frantic nurses. I sat up, suddenly awake. And saw my Mom, seemingly asleep on the stretcher, her face unmarked and no obvious signs of injury. Adrenaline kicked in. I carefully picked up Spencer's head, slid my legs out from underneath her, and wobbled my way into the hospital room. "That's my Mom." I said to the first nurse I saw.

She looked behind her at the prone form on the stretcher, then looked at me, and I saw connections click in her eyes. "Well, I can assure you she's fine." She smiled brightly. "She may have a minor concussion, but doctors think nothing too serious."

It seemed, in my sleepy state, that the comforting surge of relief that barelled through me was too strong to be normal. Tears actually popped into my eyes. "I'm so glad." I said thickly.

The nurse didn't seem embarassed at all to see this public display of emotion. "I know you are." She replied. "Now, it'd be best if you get some sleep so you can see her in the morning. Right?"

"Right." I murmured, and let her escort me back to the sofa, where I pushed Spencer as deep into it as I could, then snuggled up next to her, my nose happily buried in her hair.

And the last thing I knew, before I drifted off to sleep again, is that her confident, triumphant, I-told-you-so smirk was twitching at her lips, and I couldn't think of anything more beautiful.

**Mike POV**

"And how exactly would you know that?" Tanya asked starkly, looking at me, her gaze suddenly cold.

"I haven't done anything wrong!" I assured her, though her stony eyes didn't brighten at all. "I avoided doing anything wrong."

"That's not comforting, Mike!" She exclaimed, now thoroughly worried.

"Okay." I sighed, wondering how to explain. "I was in the hospital a couple of weeks back. I broke my patella in my knee. And when I was in the hospital, the girl in the bed across from me was Mona."

Her eyes widened with shock. "So, let me get this straight, you were situated in a hospital bed next to a psychopathic murderer who could easily have _killed you_?" She squeaked.

I pursed my lips. "Uhrm, yeah."

"Then go on." She said, waving a hand, and I cracked a smile.

"Well, I didn't know much about her. But her boyfriend Noel came in at least once a day. And they'd always huddle real close together, talking, like they wanted no one else in the world to know. He was always showing her stuff on his phone."

"Maybe you should tell the police this, not me." Tanya countered.

"Wait for me to explain." I instructed, not unkindly. "One time, Mona started chatting to me. You know, what we were in here for, when I was gonna leave, how I got my injury. That sort of thing. And then somehow it slipped I was Aria's brother."

"And she didn't stab you to death with a plastic fork?" She asked.

"Apparently not." I smiled. "She just said she knew Aria quite well, and then lied to me. She said Aria had stolen a book of hers a couple of days back. I said that didn't sound like my sister, and she said it was a misunderstanding or something. But the thing was, Aria wouldn't give it back to Mona or so she said. So she asked me to steal it for her when I got back."

"Whoa." Tanya breathed. "Did you steal it?"

"No. Aria found it in my backpack." I said, grimly remembering. "But Jenna offered me money, quite a lot of it. And, uh, at the time, I owed some people quite a bit of money. It's not what you think!" I assured her, as her eyebrows furrowed. "Far more innocent. I'll explain some time."

"So Mona offered you money to steal a book of Aria's... what was the book?"

"It was Aria's diary." I said guiltily, and the look on her face was priceless.

"Holy crap." She muttered.

"You can say that again."

"Holy crap."

"Not literally."

"Then why did you say it?"

"It's an American thing." I changed the subject, not wanting to get into a British-versus-American debate. "But then she told me to give it to her afterschool, in the park. When I arrived there, let's just say it wasn't Mona who greeted me."

"Who?"

"Wren Kim." I said, grimly. "He made up a whole story about how the book was a medical one and how Mona was trying to get it for him like a good friend. But then I asked him why he wanted Aria's diary. And, I kid you not, the guy turned white as a sheet. He then proceeded to offer me $150 if I kept my mouth shut."

"$150?" Tanya hissed. "And you said _yes?_"

"No!" I retorted.

She looked relieved. "I said I'd take $300."

"MIKE!"

_Only one date into the relationship, and she's already acting like my wife_. "I know." I grimaced. "It sounds really bad. At the moment though, it covered all of my costs, and I didn't want to know what he wanted to do with Aria's diary. I said I couldn't give it to him, however, but he didn't seem to care."

Tanya gave me a faintly angry look, which was diluted by fear and intrigue. "So you think he was involved in the whole A thing?"

"Yeah." I affirmed. "I reckon he was, and that's why the hospital's been bombed. They're trying to get rid of my sister, your sister, and their friends, cause they know too much, and they're gonna tell everyone everything. And I think Wren's done it."

She clamped her lips together, but nodded slowly, looking like she was thinking hard. "Well, then." She muttered. "I know where we should go."

"Where?"

"Not to the hospital, but, to his house. D'you know his address?"

"Uh, nope."

"So much for that idea."

Suddenly, the taxi guy spoke up. "Pardon, sir and ma'am." He said politely. "Your conversation, bad as it was for me to listen in, was fascinating. Wren's my cousin. I'm just as concerned about his welfare right now as anyone else. I'll happily drive you to his house."

I caught a look at his face-similar features to Wren, same brown eyes, same wide forehead and large ears. Definitely his cousin. "That-would-be-great!" Tanya blurted.

"I'm sorry if we offended you any with that conversation, Mister, uh-"

"Julian." He said grimly. "I'm Julian. You didn't offend me at all. Wren's been missing the entire day, and I read the papers this morning. Your story ties in. He's always been a dreamy one, Wren, but now I'm afraid his dreams have taken him too far."

I couldn't think of anything to say to that. Neither did Tanya. "Uh, well." I began. "Do you have any idea why she would want to hurt Tanya and I's sisters?"

He was silent for a while, eyes screwed up in thought. We jolted to a halt at the red traffic light. "Your sister's Spencer Hastings, ma'am?" He asked Tanya.

"She is." Tanya nodded.

"So then you're related to Melissa Hastings as well? The one Wren was gonna marry?"

I knew about this, but it appeared Tanya didn't. She was gaping like a fish. "Marry?"

"Sure." Julian said, a sombre note in his voice. "He confided a fair bit in me, did Wren, but I suppose I need to tell you these things now. He didn't marry Melissa, because he fell in love with her sister, Spencer. And then Spencer said she couldn't go out with him. Broke his heart."

I didn't know this, and was suitably surprised. Spencer hadn't really seemed to be the boyfriend-stealer type. Tanya looked full stop horrified, but I could tell there were cogs fitting together in her brain. "So you think... because of his jilted love, he'd want revenge on Spencer?"

"I hope not." Julian said sternly. "But I'm afraid it might have happened."

There was an awkward silence in the car, and I allowed the information to sink in. The car suddenly ground to a halt. "We're here." Julian explained.

"Do we pay or anything?" Tanya asked, reaching for her wallet, seemingly forgetting I'd already paid him.

Julian instead opened up his cash box, and handed me back the money. "Let's count this as a family visit." He reasoned, switching his radio off, and dabbing a knob on the meter that made the price flicker back to a zero.

"Okay!" I blurted before Tanya could argue, but she seemed surprisingly okay with it.

We stepped out of the car quietly, and I scanned the street for passers-by, my paranoia kicking in. There was no one. Adrenaline shot into my veins, and I felt like I was about to break into a house again. "So, we just knock on the door?"

Julian did exactly that, jabbing the doorbell. We waited. And waited. And waited for a little more. The house was dark and silent. He scowled in frustration. "Evidently he's not home." He said worriedly.

"Well, d'you know where the key is?" Tanya asked, her accent blurring words together in a soft rolling way.

"No. We might have to break in..." Julian trailed off, scratching his head.

"Sweet." I grinned evilly. "Tanya, bobby pin please."

"Mike, I don't think that's-"

"This might be a matter of life and death." I said urgently. "We don't know where Wren is, and this house could give us valuable clues. Let's do it."

Julian sighed, obviously reluctant. "Only because of our concern for his safety."

"Of course." I agreed, and Tanya handed over a bobby pin from her hair, shaking her tangled mane of brown-blonde hair free.

It took fifteen seconds. Not bad at all. My all-time record was twelve, when I'd been trying to... uhrm... let's not go into that one. I was in a hurry. That's all.

We walked into the black house nervously. Tanya hung close to me, and I reached for her hand, holding it tight. It was like we were in a horror movie. Any minute now, a spiked pendulum would swing down from the ceiling and decapitate us, or a little girl with rolling bloodshot eyes would dive for our necks, screaming bloodcurdingly, or the hall would suddenly fill with blood until we were forced to swim in it, while hands grabbed at our ankles, trying to drag us down under the scarlet liquid...

Or Julian could have just flipped the light on, making everything seem so much more nice and comforting. "Wren?" He called out. "It's Julian!"

There was no answer. I strolled forward, doing a decent impression of a brave person, and crossed into the kitchen. "Tell me if anything seems out of place, Julian." I said.

"How about the great big note on the table? I think thats a little out to place to anyone with eyes." Tanya said scathingly, crossing forward and peering over the large strip of paper on the table.

"Oh." I said simply, and pushed up against her to read it. Julian followed suit, and gasped sharply.

_Friends, Romans, Enemies. _

_You are all my enemies. Or you will be, soon. The world will turn its back on me. I cannot face that. Do not worry, family. I have sorted everything out. And if I'm gonna go, I'll take some pretty faces with me. I'll see you all where I am, once you read this letter. _

_-A_

"That doesn't sound too positive." Tanya said, summing up exactly what I felt.

**You can kind of guess what Wren's gone and done, so it's not too much of a cliffhanger! Sorry I took so long to update, I've got a crazy history project, plus homework up to my ears. Oh the joys of being fifteen... ugh. I'll update as fast as I can without failing my standard! PLEASE REVIEW! :D xx**


	22. It's All Over

**Tanya POV**

Julian's eyes were wide, and I had the horrible feeling he was about to burst into tears. "Julian." I said softly. "I think you should sit down for a little bit."

I took his shoulders, and gently pushed him backwards into a nearby chair. He didn't resist in any way, just crumpling into the seat, growing increasingly pale. "Was the bomb a suicide?" He asked, shakily.

"From the tone of the letter, I'd say a yes." Mike confirmed. "But we don't know yet."

Julian's face reminded me exactly of a screwed up piece of paper- about to rip, already crumpled and wrinkled with grief, his mouth puckered and his eyes deep. "I see." He said bitterly.

"We should allow you some time." I said, sympathetic. "In fact, maybe Mike and I should go. This is probably hard to take in."

"No, no, stay." He waved his hand in a beckoning gesture. "I should drive you."

"Where to?" Mike asked, concerned.

"To the hospital, like you wanted to go."

"Julian, that's really not-"

"Necessary." I finished. "I think you need to stay here, just for now."

He didn't argue, just sat limply in the chair, and nodded. "Okay. I'll be seeing you two."

Mike and I made our goodbye, though it seemed banal, compared to the massive emotional grief that man must have been going through right then. He just waved us off. We left the house, me carefully shutting the door. "What do you propose we do?" Mike asked, hands stuffed in his pockets, his breath emitting fog into the air.

"We go to the hospital and see our sisters." I told him.

"And how will we do that?"

"By walking." I thought out loud. "Let's get moving."

"I've actually got a better idea, pom." Mike retorted. "I know some short cuts. Can you do a bit of running?"

"Don't call me a pom!" I exclaimed, but his gentle teasing expression swung into view and I stopped being mad. "I do parque, honey. I don't run. I fly."

"Don't call me honey, you sound like my mother." He groaned. "Great. Cause we're going through people's houses."

"Sounds cool." I smiled.

He raised his eyebrows cheekily. "It might be a little bit tough for you..."

"Oh!" I exclaimed, rising to the bait. "Was that a _challenge_?"

"It could have been." He smirked.

"You're going down, honey." I grinned evilly.

He said nothing, just moved. I followed. We joint sprinted across the street, and he ducked to the alley of someone's house, one that was secured by a large gate. Without even stopping, he gracefully (I'll admit it) darted to the house's wall, and used his momentum to barrel himself off, and over the gate. I was a little taken aback, but not for long. I remembered all the training I'd had, and gripped the gate's wooden hinges, springing my body up and over it in a fast flip.

I saw his shadowy form in the moonlight, charging through the garden, jumping nimbly over a massive pond. I quietly followed him, as he leaped over the fence, throwing my body into a handstand, and from that, somersaulting over the fence, pressing a hand on it to ease myself over. He was waiting for me, and from what I managed to glimpse of his features, he looked impressed. "Not bad." He breathed. "Certainly adept at fences in particular."

I didn't realize what he was getting at. "Sorry?"

"You seem used to the idea of breaking and entering, Miss DiLaurentis."

I felt myself blush, and knew he was onto me. "I, er. Um."

He stayed quiet, grinning. "Well, posh boy." I replied. "You don't live in one of the roughest districts of London without picking up a few tricks."

"Thought you went to a good girls school, pom?"

"That must make me a good girl, honey." Sarcasm dripped off my voice.

He laughed. "Just because I'm a posh boy, doesn't mean I'm a good one. You know how I told you about how I needed that money?"

"Don't say it's for drugs, please. That's a major turn off."

He chuckled. "Nah. Had to pay compensation money for stuff I stole from other people's houses."

"Oooh. Bad boy. Bet the ladies love you."

"You know it." He smirked, and was about to say something more, but a loud growling echoed from the bushes. The bright eyes of a huge Alsatian glowered out from a kennel we hadn't noticed before.

"Shit." He said simply, and started running.

I followed.

**Hanna POV**

I could see his back turned to me, and leaned against the lampost, admiring the sheen off his hair, just for a little while, in the neon lighting. He was sitting on a park bench, alone, his face cupped in his hands. Every part of my body was yelling at me to go over and comfort him, but I managed to restrain myself. I just wanted to watch him for a little while.

He suddenly thrust his head out, pulled his phone away, and gazed at it, a hopeless look in his wide eyes. My heart pulsed painfully at how scared he seemed. He pressed a couple of buttons, and held it up to his ear, gnawing on his knuckle. I stayed motionlessly, intrigued to see who he was calling.

He spoke, "Hanna-" I started, and then his voice broke, and he emitted a quiet sob that absolutely broke my heart in two.

"Come out baby." He sobbed, sniffing and rubbing at his eyes, as mine own were prickling. "I need you. I love you."

I felt suddenly hollow inside, staring at him, wondering if he could feel how much I loved him right at this moment. My heart had broken in two, and now was jumping all around my chest. To see him cry was like witnessing a kitten getting punched in the face. Like watching an old lady get knocked down by someone. Like seeing your best friend in the world... The greatest person you will ever know, completely break. I couldn't hang on standing there much longer.

_He thinks I'm dead. _

He cupped his heads in his hands and cried loudly, huge heart wrenching emotional sobs that tore at my insides, ripping them to shreds. I clung at the lampost just to stay upright. His tears made me want to run wildly towards him, yet somehow, my feet were encased in iron blocks. I wonderingly raised a hand to my face, and I could feel it streaked with moisture, yet I wasn't aware I was crying.

"Come back baby." He cried again, and I decided I had to move.

It took mammoth strength moving towards him. I felt like I was moving through toffee, slow sticky treacle, that slowed down my every movement. It was like walking in slow motion, when I wanted to move as fast as possible. My vocal chords had clamped up, so I couldn't even call his name. My head was filled with cotton wool, my arms limp by my sides.

I finally reached the park bench, my fingers curling around the cold iron of it, as if to feel something, touch something just to check my nerves were still working. I couldn't make a sound. Caleb was still bent double, still crying, and I stood there worldlessly. Something echoed far in the distance, but it was loud enough to judder me into life. It could have been a thunderclap, for just then, the skies opened, and poured down with rain, cold drips splashing my face and hair, streaking my mascara down my face. Caleb didn't even noticed, but I was shocked into movement.

"Caleb!" I yelled, as loud as my voice could go. Which wasn't very loud.

He jolted upright, and spun around, his eyes wide with amazement and shock. I stood there. Looking a mess, with mascara smudges, tired eyes, cuts all across my face, bedraggled hair, a baggy old shirt someone had donated for my loss of an expensive silk one, smeared with ash, and glass still strewn in my hair. His eyes were red and tinged, his face puffy, his hair damp and sticking to his face, and his cheeks pink. _Yet he's still the most perfect sight in the world._

"Hanna." He breathed, and I smiled, shaking my head.

"I love you." I said immediately. "So much."

He looked a little surprised, but then reacted. "I thought you were dead!" He gasped.

"I'm alive, baby." I murmured.

"I love you too." He said emotionally, tears still evident in his eyes and face and voice.

And just like that, he propped his knees on the bench, leant up towards my face, and kissed me. Yeah, in the middle of the pouring rain, like those romantic movies which always make me cry. I was crying now, despite the kissing. And somehow it actually wasn't gross. I know you're imagining snot sticking to his cheeks and all of that yucky stuff, but it actually didn't happen. The rain spat down around us, and my cheeks turned slick, and as the shirt became drenched and cold drips began running down my back, we just kissed more.

Finally, several minutes later, we stopped, and I walked around to lay beside him. We lay there in the pouring rain, murmuring things to each other. Like bloody hipsters, sitting there, getting absolutely soaked, and we didn't even care. "I was so scared." Caleb admitted.

"I was unconscious." I told him. "But I woke up. And the first thing I thought was that I had to get out of there. Had to see you, didn't I?"

He smiled thinly. "Not even gonna die, without me, are you?"

"Not even gonna live without you." I whispered. "I'm never doing anything without you."

He didn't even make a cocky comment, or crack a smile. He stroked my hair and stared into my face. "Let's make that a promise."

"Pinky." I said seriously.

"Pinky." He replied, and extended his finger. "I solemnly swear I will never do anything unless you're there by my side, Hanna Marin."

"And I solemnly swear I will never do anything unless you're there with me, Caleb Rivers."

There was a silence for a couple of seconds as we allowed our words to burn into the air, strong as a branding iron's touch, leaving lingering traces on both of one another's hearts. _Crap, when I'm emotional, I get poetic. Who knew? _Then I reflexively shivered, and he wrapped his arms around me. "We should go get shelter. I don't want you to catch a cold out here."

I didn't argue. I was actually freezing. He hoisted me up, and we wandered away from the destructed building, holding each other.

Never going to let go.

**One Week Later**.

"No, we do not need a police escort to enter Rosewood High, Mom." Spencer said firmly, and I masked a snigger.

"I'm just saying, girls, some people may have odd reactions to you being there." Veronica Hastings shot back.

I sat at their kitchen bar stools, looking down at the floor. Arguments between Spencer and her mom were always interesting. As soon as Spencer introduced one- and it was always Spencer that introduced one- you could practically see the hair stand up at the back of each other's necks. They were like two dogs protecting their territory, neither wanting to give in. They stood tall and straight, shoulders back, intently eyeing each other. At some points I was convinced they'd have to box to settle it.

"Well, if they have odd reactions, they can stifle them. I'm going back to school." Spencer declared.

Her mom sighed, and that was the signal she'd lost this round. "All right. You know to call me if anything happens, right?"

"Yes, Mom."

"Good. Have a good day, sweetheart."

"You too." Spence grumbled, swung her bag over her shoulder, and marched out.

I followed politely and quietly, smiling at Spencer's Mom, making a pleasant goodbye. She was staring after her daughter, shaking her head. "God, doesn't she drive you nuts at times, Emily?" She asked, laughter in her voice.

"Quite a lot. But that's one of her greatest attributes." I said philosphically, and headed out the door.

Spence was waiting in the car, sunglasses on, and hair flung behind her, looking like she belonged in a magazine. It was a sunny day, and she'd worn the most summery clothes she could manage. A blue lace dress, short, exposing pale legs which she had propped up onto the dashboard, and a huge white straw hat. I swung into the seat next to her, and grinned. "Thanks for driving me."

She raised one eyebrow so high you could see it above her glasses. "What? Did you just thank me for doing something that's an absolute pleasure to do?"

"I suppose I did." I smiled.

"Well, it isn't an appropiate thank you." She chuckled.

I rolled my eyes, leant forward and plastered a small kiss on her cheek. "Happy?"

"Just about. Next up, Hanna, in Spencer's Taxi Service."

She switched on the radio, and Akon came on. Beautiful. Spencer smiled. "Awww. This is one of my only favourite electronic songs."

"Cause it reminds you of me?" I grinned, goofily.

"God no. You're freakin' disgusting. Look at you."

"Thanks, Spence."

"Ha ha. No, seriously, it's cute, and the lyrics may be unoriginal and contrived, but it's a darn sigh better than _Sexy Bitch_."

I smiled again, and started quietly drumming my hands on my knees to my beat. It felt like it was a remix- the loud crystalline drums, the throbbing bass, the tinny electronics and the echoing vocals. The drums suddenly sped up and I realized what it had reminded me of. And I knew exactly what it was gonna be. I carefully placed my hands across the radio, preventing Spencer from accessing it, covertly.

She was staring out the screen, humming and driving. Happy as ever. The electronics and vocals, the drums, all suddenly zoned out of the song. And I braced myself.

_Dubstep and Spencer Hastings do not mix. _

The bass dropped. And she just about jerked out of her seat. The drums came back in, loud and clear, but the dubstep blasted through the car in its rugged, animal way, and Spencer's eyes popped. She threw herself forward in a shocked reaction, and ending up headbutting the steering wheel, causing the horn to blare.

"Oh my god, what is that?" She shrieked, looking behind her, detaching herself from the horn. "What's happened to the car?"

I burst out laughing, so hard there were tears already in my eyes. "It's-the-radio!"

"Why are you _laughing_? There's something wrong with the car, oh, the radio! Switch it off!" She demanded, eyes wide, hands flying to the radio set, but I blocked them.

"Welcome to dubstep, Spencer, darling."

Her face softened at the darling, but it was still white with horror. "That's not... music, is it?" She whispered, disgusted.

"Yep!" I grinned.

Her mouth gaped, and she gazed at the radio, as if she couldn't believe the abominations coming from it. "Oh. My. God."

I dissolved into peals of laughter as she lunged for the set, hands trying to claw mine away, but I kept them firmly pressed so she couldn't touch the dial at all. "Emily!" She hissed. "Stop it!"

"No, no, you have to listen to the song." I laughed, my cheeks already sore.

"EM! IT SOUNDS LIKE THE TRANSFORMERS CRAPPING!"

Oh, that one got to me. I collapsed in my seat. "The... transformers... crapping..." I snorted.

She looked at me, a small smile on her face, despite her hated music booming throughout the car's speakers. "So switch it off!"

"Never!" I fought back, as she desperately tried to peel my fingers away.

"It's awful." She whimpered, trying to make me feel guilty. "I'm going to have brain damage."

"You know you love it." I smiled evilly, as she clamped one hand over her ear, and chanted mindlessly to block it out. "LA LA LA LA LA LA!"

I turned it up louder, and she froze, looking completely furious. "EMILY FIELDS, SWITCH THAT TORTURE MUSIC OFF, NOW!"

"BITE ME, HITLER!" I replied, still laughing so hard tears were about to fall down my cheeks.

"Hitler?" She responded, anguished. "HITLER? IS THAT THE BEST YOU CAN DO?"

"WHAT, YOU PREFER STALIN?"

The corner of her mouth twitched, and then was hidden, pretending she never even found that funny. She made a quick pull over, and I realized we were already at Hanna's. A minute later of furious arguing, Han popped her head through the window. "Ah, I wondered what a car blasting dubstep, with two screaming girls in the front, was doing in my driveway."

"WE'RE NOT SCREAMING!" I replied, my throat actually raw from all the screaming we'd been doing.

"Whatever you say..." Hanna said drily. "Oooh, I like this song."

She hopped in and I shot Spencer a satisfied look. She rolled her eyes at me. "Oh, so if Hanna likes it, it must be good."

"True." I muttered. "Hanna also likes Justin Bieber."

"What did you say about the Beebz?" She shouted, leaning forward so her head was right by my elbow.

I turned slowly around. "Just that I know a lesbian when I see one... being one."

Spencer made a low "ooooo" sound. "Oh no, Emily, you went there."

"Indeed, I did."

Hanna's face had gone a similar colour to a tomato. "Did you just insult the Beebz?"

"I don't know why you like him, Han." I said calmly. "Or her. I dunno. Alvin and the chipmunks have a lower voice. And circles are straighter."

"HE'S dating Selena Gomez!" He squeaked.

"Yeah, I didn't know she was gay. I'm a bit surpised, but, you know, celebrities." I shrugged.

Spence had to physically restrain Hanna from leaping onto me and strangling me in the most ruthless way possible. I yelped, trying to duck away, holding my hands up protectively. "I-WILL-KILL-YOU!"

"Han, Emily's sorry. Emily's sorry!" Spencer yelled.

She stopped trying to kill me for a small period and gave me an expectant glare. "I'm sorry that I don't like her kind of music." I said solemnly.

Hanna managed to slip her hand through the headrest and pin my neck to the back of the seat. I made some attractive gurgling noises and some pretty interesting faces as she attempted to throttle me. Spencer sighed. "Might as well leave you two to it."

"YES!" Hanna shrieked in triumph. "DIE, EMILY, DIE! MWAHAHAHA-"

I swore as I was choking. "SOME-GIRLFRIEND-YOU-ARE-SPENCER!"

Hanna's hands loosened, and I realized I'd touched on an awkward subject. _Oh God, why do these odd things go through my head when I'm being strangled. _My eyes flickered to Spencer apologetically. I didn't want to know her reaction to that.

But to my surprise, she was smirking away, as I nervously massaged my neck and tutted at Hanna. "Jeez, Han, I think you've left bruises."

It was obvious I was trying to change the subject, and Hanna quickly joined into this game. "Eh. It's what you deserve. Never let me hear you insult the Beebz ever again. Or I will actually stick your head under a tap and hold it there, laughing evilly and dramatically, while you gasp for breath and scream your last choked words. But all in vain. For I, Hanna Marin, Avenger Of Bieber, have struck again on another ignorant victim, forcing their last words to be a hapless apology to the great god Just-"

"I'm sorry." Spencer murmured, so low I could barely hear her. She leaned forward and whispered into my ear, "Want me to kiss it better?"

I think my eyebrows actually shot up so far they fell off my head that time. Hanna was still ranting on about Justin Bieber but I'd stopped hearing her. I looked at Spencer gingerly, but the upward curl of my mouth gave it all away. She leaned forward and tenderly kissed the soft skin around my neck, causing shivers to tickle through me. She pulled away, and I immediately turned and looked at Hanna to see her reaction.

One eyebrow was raised, but that was it. However, face signals is nothing compared to her damning wit. "Well, that was painful, if you two are going to have sex now, I'll get out of the car."

I stifled a chuckle, and Spencer just shook her head with a slight smile. She backed up the car, throwing an arm behind her seat, like an expert driver. "Next up, Aria."

The mood in the car actually died. Right then and there. I gave Spencer a hard look. "Not funny, Spence, not funny at all."

Hanna's face was taut with anger, I could see in the car mirror. "Don't make jokes like that." She said quietly.

Spence pulled the car into gear and so rumbled off. "We should think optimistically." She offered. "In a few more weeks, she'll be walking in with the rest of us."

"In a wheelchair." Hanna echoed what I was thinking.

When Aria had gotten so badly slashed by the falling rubble, we hadn't considered the fact the muscles in her stomach and gut could have been actually damaged, and horrifically, they were. The doctors had done everything they could, but they were rips in her intestine that made it impossible for her to move without causing a hernia. She was going to have to go under surgery in a few days. We all promised her we'd be there for it.

One of us had visited her each day so far, updating her on news, keeping her positive and happy with Oreos and her favourite movies and books. Ezra had also visited once every two days, and I don't think I'd ever seen my handsome English teacher look so desolate and sad as when he looked at Aria, propped in the hospital bed, her pale face peeking out from a mountain of pillows. Just as I thought about the Ben and Jerry's icecream we'd eaten together while watching _The Notebook _for the 22nd time in a row, someone's phone started ringing. Hanna's.

She immediately put it to her ear. "Hey? Oh, hey! We were just talking about you, Muso!"

I beamed, and Spencer shouted "We miss you, bumblebrain!"

Aria's voice reflected her disgust for that particular nickname, but Spencer simply didn't care. "_Hey_." She echoed out of the phone. "_I miss you guys too! Are you going to school?"_

"Yes!" We all chorused.

"_Hanna, have you got your pencilcase?"_

Hanna tutted with scorn. "Aria, why would you ever accuse me of forgetting it."

"_Go check in your bag, now, Banana."_

She sighed, and handed the phone to me, while she rummaged through her schoolbag. I brought it up to my lips. "Hey, Aria! Not long till you're here with us!"

"_I know." _She muttered, and I knew the words were full of dread.

"Hey. Come on. You'll be great." I smiled, then realized she couldn't see me. "You'll wake up from a long sleep, and your stomach might be a bit tight, but that's it. And then you'll be walking into school with us again like nothing ever happened."

"_Thanks, Em." _She said appreciatively. "_Damn, you really are the best at cheering people up_."

"Isn't she!" Spencer agreed.

"_She just is. And adorable too. Em, why you so cute."_

"I dunno, babe, I was born this way." I chuckled.

"Careful, Montgomery, dangerous territory." Hanna said ominously from the back. "Spencer may kick your ass for flirting with her_ girlfriend_."

She put so much emphasis on the word, so I narrowed my eyebrows at her. Aria then sounded ridiculously excited. _"Wait... she said the G word?"_

"She said the G word!" Hanna replied, a lighthouse grin on her face.

"_OH MY LORD I HAVE NEVER BEEN SO EXCITED ABOUT A WORD BEGINNING WITH G IN MY LIFE!" _Aria suddenly squealed, and I had to peel the phone away from my ear due to her deafening high-pitched voice.

"G string." Spencer said, pokerfaced.

"G spot." Hanna chimed in.

"Gay." I put my two cents in.

"Gooch."

"Genitalia."

"G.I.L.F."

"Gambling."

"Ghetto."

"Ginger."

"Gonads."

"_Yes, thank you, that's enough!" _Aria intervened, and we all burst out laughing.

"What's a G.I.L.F, Han?" Spencer asked.

"Grandma I'd Like To-"

"Got it." I said quickly.

Spencer had pulled into the parking lot by now for the school. "Okay, we love you, but we have to go now, Aria." She said sadly.

"_That's okay! See you soon, guys! I want all the goss!"_

"Of course! Bye!" I smiled.

"_Wait, Hanna, did you find your pencilcase?"_

"Yes." Hanna said innocently.

"_You're a filthy liar_."

"Be quiet, Muso, or no more chocolate eclairs for you."

"Alright now, byeee!" Spencer said brightly, and hung up.

We got out of the car in silence. I facepalmed with a sudden realization. "Crap! I forgot to ask her about Mike and Tanya!"

"Tanya's left." Spencer said, and if I didn't know better, I'd say she looked a little sad. "But Mike and her are keeping in contact."

"Like with you?" I asked, and she smiled.

"It's what sisters do, is it not?"

I beamed at her, and wrapped my arm around her skinny waist. "It is what excellent sisters do."

Her eyes lit up and her face grew that extra degree brighter from a tiny compliment, so much so looking into her eyes was like gazing into glowing hazel orbs. Hanna coughed awkwardly in the distance. "You guys can have sex in the car if you want. I'm going to class. See ya."

"See, the thing is." Spencer said, breaking the hold her eye contact had on me, "That neither me nor Emily ever made these comments about Caleb."

Hanna whipped around. "Excuse me, when you found out the day I lost my virginity, you circled it in your diary and wouldn't stop making that damn camping joke!"

"What camping joke?" I asked.

"How's sex when you're camping?" Spencer asked, a dirty grin tweaking her mouth.

"Uh... nice?"

"Please don't tell me you know how it is, already, Emily." Hanna begged. "Spencer's a bad influence on you. She'll make you lose your virginity in all sorts of horrid places."

"Oh, I can begin to imagine." I said dryly, causing a horrified expression from her. "What's the punchline, Spencer?"

"It's... in tents!" She chuckled wildly at her own joke.

I shook my head at her. "That's actually not that funny."

"Exactly!" Hanna agreed, one hand on her hip.

"I think it is, therefore, it is." Spencer said, matter-of-factly. "Now. Are we entering this building?"

"No, we're going to stand here and discuss your secret desire to rape Emily." Hanna retorted sarcastically, and then switched to a thoughtful tone. "I actually think that's how it's gonna happen. Em is all smiles and butterflies and unicorns and rainbows, and you, Spencer, are a deep dark weird person who likes Shakespeare and classical music. You will get her in an alleyway and rape her. That is what is going to happen."

The gestures she was making with her hands were very interesting. And the fact her voice was so loud, people were giving us odd looks already. Spencer rolled her eyes. "Oh, Hanna, look! It's a greasy hobo in a beanie!"

Hanna actually whipped around to look for Caleb, and then turned back once she realized her wasn't there. "That's just plain rude."

Spencer simply grinned in reply. "Next up, she'll be having sex with Psycho Larry. You just watch."

"Nah, the beard's a turn off." Hanna immediately replied.

"Oh, I don't know. The grease makes it extra curly. All those natural oils flowing, there."

"My God, you two. Get it together." I ordered, and they miraculously shut up. "Neither of us are going to make insults about each other's partners. Understood?"

"Yeah." Spencer agreed. "Alright."

"We going in, or not?" Hanna said impatiently.

I sighed, straightening my shoulders, and found it odd I was soldering myself for school. But for about a year now, school was something I was afraid of. And now, I didn't know what to expect. My fingers curled at my sides. Spencer was giving me a sideways look, trying to guess what I was feeling. "Together." She whispered.

That word brought a warm shiver through me. Like always, she knew exactly when I needed her. I couldn't help but smile and nod. Her fingers intertwined through mine and I desperately wanted to kiss her, but I guessed she wouldn't really have appreciated that. _Not yet, anyway_.

With Hanna bringing up the front, making her usual witty comments to anyone who would listen, blonde hair flying out behind her like a golden flag for us to follow, I swallowed my doubts, brushed my hair away from my face, and took a step.

And Spencer, Hanna and I, walked into that building.

_Together_.

**It's all over! :/ I enjoyed writing this so much, let me know if there's any other stories or follow-ups that you think I should write! Thank you so much to all the reviewers, particularly spinoza-off, I always hung out to read your specific reviews whenever I uploaded a particular chapter! Thanks also to PrettyLittleFan, I felt awful submitting sad chapters cause I was worried you'd cry! :P and also thank you to LaughLoveLivXx, your review was so sweet :') and to loveasalways, just... hehe. I grinned like mad. Also to everyone who reviewed, liked, or made me on author alert or story alert or whatever, I LOVE YOU. YOU ALL GET VIRTUAL COOKIES AND CANDY AND FUDGE. xD well, that's it... Goodbye for now! xx**


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